Medscape, in its new 2024 physician compensation report.

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Radiologists

Radiologist Pay Grows 3%

Annual salaries for US radiologists grew 3.1% in 2023 in the most recent physician salary report by Medscape. Although radiologist salaries are nearing the half-million-dollar mark, the increase actually represents a slowdown compared to 11% growth last year. 

The Medscape report shows that US radiologists had an average annual salary of $498k in 2023, compared to $483k in 2023 and $437k in 2022.

• Radiologists ranked sixth on a list of 29 medical specialties, with orthopedic physicians topping the charts at $558k and diabetes and endocrinology doctors at the bottom at $256k. 

The report surveyed 7k practicing US physicians from October 2023 to January 2024, finding … 

• 61% of those surveyed thought physicians overall are underpaid
• 49% believe that they themselves are fairly paid
• 83% said that pay was either no factor or only a minor factor in the specialty they chose, with only 14% saying it was the leading factor
• Male specialists earned 31% more than female specialists, indicating a widening gender gap compared to 27% last year
• 57% of radiologists were happy with their compensation, sixth among 29 medical specialties

Physician comments submitted to Medscape focused on the significant stress being experienced by many physicians, a phenomenon that’s been linked to burnout in other surveys. 

The Takeaway

Underlying this year’s Medscape data is an inconvenient truth for radiologists: their 3.1% pay gains for the year were not enough to keep pace with the US inflation rate of 3.4%. In that respect, radiologists find themselves in the same situation as most Americans.

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The Benefits of Breast Imaging AI

Breast imaging AI can help providers reduce their workload and improve patient care. Blackford Analysis offers a wide selection of breast imaging AI apps on its Blackford Platform – find out how they could benefit your organization.

The Wire

• Racial Disparities in Breast Imaging: SBI 2024 just wrapped up in Montreal, Canada, and breast health disparities was a hot topic at the show. In one paper, researchers analyzed racial differences in breast cancer mortality for US women ages 40-74, finding that Black women were 39% more likely to die than White women. Disparities were highest for younger Black women: those 25-29 were at 2.5X the mortality risk, but decreased with age (15% higher for women 80-84). Targeted risk-based screening of younger Black women could reduce disparities.  

• Barriers to Breast MRI: Out-of-pocket expenses can also be a barrier to many patients who need breast imaging. A study presented at SBI 2024 showed how this applied to abbreviated breast MR at a northeastern Ohio health system that charged $250 per AB-MRI scan as a supplement to breast screening. Of 1.3k women who got AB-MRI scans, 64% of patients were from Zip codes with <10% of people in poverty, while only 18% came from Zip codes with >20% of people in poverty. Such out-of-pocket fees contributed to healthcare inequities. 

• AI Finds Interval Breast Cancers: Finally, an SBI 2024 presentation by MGH researchers showed how Lunit’s Insight DBT AI algorithm can detect interval cancers missed on mammography screening. Researchers retrospectively analyzed DBT exams of 336 women, finding that AI identified 27% of all false-negative cancers and 36% of interval cancers (symptomatic false-negative cancers). Features associated with AI-detected interval cancers versus cancers not detected by AI included dense breast tissue (76% vs. 58%) and large cancer size at surgery (37 vs. 25 mm). Lunit got FDA clearance for Insight DBT in November 2023. 

• What Affects Breast Screening Rates: In an echo of the SBI 2024 findings, a new CDC report found that women from disadvantaged economic backgrounds have lower rates of mammography screening. Researchers analyzed 2022 mammography screening rates for women aged 50-74, finding rates of 64% to 86% depending on state. Screening rates varied greatly between women with no adverse social determinants of health and those with three or more factors (83% vs. 66%). Social isolation, life dissatisfaction, and negative economic factors also predicted skipping mammograms over the previous two years.

• Contrast Mammo Alliance Expands: Bayer and Hologic have expanded their alliance in contrast-enhanced mammography. The companies announced at SBI 2024 that they would offer a coordinated CEM solution that included Hologic’s mammography gantries and Bayer’s MEDRAD Stellant Flex CT injection system to streamline the purchasing process for radiologists and imaging centers. The move builds on a relationship announced in September 2023.   

• Volpara Launches MQSA Software: Meanwhile, Volpara Health used SBI 2024 as a springboard to launch Volpara Quiver, its new MQSA compliance software. Quiver gives breast imaging centers a central digital destination for managing mammography systems, staff credentials, and professional development to ensure compliance with the FDA’s MQSA rules. Quiver is auto-populated with data from Volpara Analytics on clinic, mammography system, and technologist activity, giving centers a head start on audits and other regulatory requirements.  

• Managing Noise in the MRI Suite: MRI scanners are notoriously noisy, and it’s not just a problem for patients – imaging personnel can also be affected. In a new paper in Radiography, MRI radiographers in Sweden describe tools they use to mitigate MRI acoustic noise, both for themselves and for patients. It’s a small qualitative study based on interviews with 15 radiographers, but one revelation is that incidents related to occupational noise are rarely reported, and radiographers often feel they are blamed if an incident occurs.

• Lung Cancer’s Deadly Toll: A new report from American Cancer Society documents the toll that cancer is taking around the world, with lung cancer first in both incidence (12% of all cases) and mortality (19% of all deaths). Lung cancer killed twice as many people globally in 2022 as colorectal cancer and almost three times as many as breast cancer (1.8M vs. 904k and 666k). Incidence and mortality rates largely reflect the stages of the tobacco epidemic in different countries.

• Rock Health’s Q1 2024 Recap: Rock Health’s Q1 2024 Digital Health Funding Report made it clear that we’ve now entered a new funding cycle. The first quarter saw $2.7B in digital health venture funding across 133 rounds, marking the lowest quarterly total seen since 2019, but the highest number of rounds in the last six quarters. AI companies scored a massive 40% share of the funding ($1.1B across 45 deals). Check out our full writeup in Digital Health Wire for the details.

• PET/CT Shows Exercise’s Benefits: Physical activity makes you less stressed, and the effect could even reduce cardiovascular risk. In a study in JACC, researchers performed PET/CT scans on 744 people in the MGB Biobank study, finding that those who exercised more had lower levels of stress-related brain activity and 20% fewer cardiovascular events. What’s more, in the entire MGB Biobank study (n=48,409) active people had 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events over 10 years, with the benefits greater in those with pre-existing depression.

• FFR-CT Directs Invasive Angio: In Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, researchers showed that FFR-CT can better direct patients to invasive coronary interventional procedures. In all, 284 patients were scanned with dual-source CTA without heart rate control and referred for Heartflow’s FFR-CT analysis if they had significant blockages/narrowing on CCTA. These patients had lower rates of invasive coronary angiography (26% vs. 75%) and subsequent coronary intervention (21% vs. 79%) compared to patients who weren’t referred. The ability to perform FFR-CT without heart rate control was a major benefit.

• Dell’s AI Partnership with Northwestern: Computer giant Dell Technologies revealed that it is working with Northwestern Medicine on AI algorithms for radiology, including a generative large language model for analyzing chest X-rays. Northwestern worked with Dell’s AI Innovation Lab and Dell hardware to design and test AI before deploying an LLM that produced draft X-ray reports in their own IT environment. Northwestern will continue working on an improved version of the LLM as well as a predictive model for the entire EMR. 

• Building a Medical Image Data Marketplace: Two US government agencies are collaborating to develop a database of medical imaging data for training AI algorithms. FDA and ARPA-H hope to remove barriers to obtaining image data, and as the first stage of the MIDM project they have issued a survey that’s open through April 16 to collect feedback about needs and challenges faced by AI users and developers.

Simplifying Patient Access to Imaging

A major U.S. healthcare provider faced challenges in simplifying imaging workflows while ensuring cost-effectiveness. Learn how PocketHealth improved patient experience and efficiency, and saved $130,000 in annual costs.

3 Good Reasons to Add Mammography

There are three good reasons to add mammography services at your imaging site as providers expect higher demand for breast imaging services. Get the facts about mammography on this resource page from Siemens Healthineers.

Approaches to Deploying Clinical AI

Join this April 30 educational webinar hosted by Aidoc and Merge by Merative to learn about real-world approaches to deploying AI solutions. Don’t miss this chance to learn how AI can be integrated into your workflows and help transform patient care.

The Resource Wire

• Windsong’s Case for MEDRAD Stellant FLEX CT: Learn how Windsong Radiology Group used Bayer’s MEDRAD Stellant FLEX CT injection system to drive efficiencies and standardization across its imaging centers.

• Breast Density Classification – From Conception to Routine Use: Knowing an individual’s mammographic breast density is key to understanding their risk for cancer. An article from Visage Imaging explains how an AI-based solution can improve breast density assessment. 

• Next-Generation Radiology Reporting: Join the conversation in this webinar recording and hear from PACS administrator Griff R. Van Dusen of Memorial Health System how Nuance PowerScribe One’s next-generation reporting experience helps streamline workflow and improve report quality so radiologists can get more done in less time. 

• Radiology Insights with Ben White, MD: Join Medality founder and CEO Daniel Arnold on The Radiology Report Podcast with Ben White, MD, in a far-ranging discussion on the evolving landscape of medical imaging, including labor shortages and beyond. 

• Get to Know Gleamer this Spring: Gleamer will be showcasing their AI solutions for revolutionizing standard radiology practices at a conference near you this spring. Join them and take advantage of this opportunity to discover the future of radiology by scheduling a meeting today.

• The UK’s Lung Cancer Screening Rollout: The UK has launched a targeted lung cancer screening program to improve lung cancer outcomes through earlier detection. Learn how DeepHealth’s Saige Lung is the preferred AI solution in this case study. 

• Memorial MRI’s Choice for Patient Comfort: Texas has one of the highest obesity rates in the US. So to best serve its patients, Memorial MRI & Diagnostic in Houston turned to United Imaging and its 3.0T uMR OMEGA MRI scanner with 75cm ultra-wide-bore. Learn more about their story. 

• Give Your Patients the Experience They Want: Empower patients to take control of their healthcare journey by giving them mobile access to their records and images with Clearpath, the world’s first digital fulfillment platform for records and films. Book a demo today. 

• An End-to-End AV and AI Solution: Never buy separate AV and AI solutions again. Get in touch with TeraRecon to find out how your health system can benefit from all the Intuition clinical features you need, plus a growing list of exclusive subscription-only content that leverages the power of AI.

• What Does Improved MRI Efficiency Mean? There’s a growing need for practical, cost-effective solutions to improve efficiency in MRI and other modalities. Read this article from Karen Holzberger of SpinTech MRI and James Backstrom, MD, to learn how the company’s STAGE software can help. 

• Solutions to Support Breast Density Reporting: The FDA has ruled that healthcare providers must inform patients of their breast density status. Learn how Intelerad’s solutions can help mammography facilities comply with this new rule well ahead of this year’s deadline. 

• Presenting Unboxing AI: Check out CARPL’s brand-new video series, Unboxing AI, featuring experts discussing AI and its future in radiology. The inaugural episode includes Piyush Mathur, MD from the Cleveland Clinic and Mitchell Goldburgh from NTT DATA speaking with CARPL CEO Vidur Mahajan, MD. 

• Drivers of AI Usage in Radiology: Radiologists are being asked to read more, read faster, and with a higher degree of accuracy as imaging data grows in volume and complexity. In this video, listen to Bernardo Bizzo, MD, and Riverain CEO Steve Worrell explain how this is driving AI usage. 

• A Milestone Study for Cardiac Strain Analysis: Us2.ai’s deep learning algorithm was able to interpret echo AI left ventricular strain images with similar accuracy as conventional measurements. Read all about this milestone study and its implications for patient management in EHJ-Digital Health.