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Forecasting Radiologist Supply | AI for Colon Cancer
February 13, 2025
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Together with
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“[C]ontinued growth of residency positions could improve the relative imbalance between radiology supply and demand, but without residency growth, the current imbalance will persist.”
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Christensen EW et al, in a new study on growth in the radiologist workforce.
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Breast screening has become one of the most promising use cases for artificial intelligence (AI). But AI developers are moving beyond image analysis to also calculate a woman’s risk of cancer. In this Imaging Wire Show interview, we talked to Prof. Nico Karssemeijer and Prof. Mads Nielsen about new developments in this area.
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Two new studies published this week in JACR raise the provocative question: Will there be a radiologist shortage in the future given growing demand for medical imaging services?
It’s a question that’s become commonplace across healthcare as burnout and other issues prompt many physicians to leave the field.
- This has caused workforce shortages that raise questions about whether the U.S. – and other advanced economies – will be able to meet growing demand for healthcare services by an aging population.
The new studies were conducted by Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute researchers and each tackles one aspect of the supply/demand equation over the next 30 years.
The first study analyzed past growth in the radiologist workforce to find …
- There were 37.5k radiologists enrolled to provide care to Medicare patients in 2023.
- With no growth in the number of residency positions, there will be 47.1k radiologists in 2055, an increase of 26%.
- If residency positions grow, there will be 52.6k radiologists, an increase of 40%.
The wildcard here is growth in residency positions, which are mostly controlled by Medicare through its graduate medical education program – and it literally takes an act of Congress to increase the number of trainee positions.
- Another factor is whether the higher physician attrition rate seen during the COVID-19 pandemic continues into the future.
The second study addressed growth in imaging volume by analyzing trends in claims data for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, finding …
- Imaging utilization will be 17-27% higher by modality by 2055 assuming no continuation of recent utilization trends.
- Most utilization growth will be seen in nuclear medicine (27%), CT (25%), interventional radiology (23%), X-ray (18%), and MRI and ultrasound (17% each).
- Adding recent utilization trends to the model finds utilization by 2055 either -5.6% lower or up by 45%.
Factors affecting future utilization include population growth (73-88% of increase) and population aging (12-27%).
The Takeaway
So will there be a radiologist shortage in the future? The new studies indicate that there are too many variables to make an accurate prediction right now. But they do provide a foundation for future research – and debate.
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Unprecedented Insights Made Possible with AI
With the largest normative dataset of whole-body imaging in the world, Prenuvo’s AI researchers partner with the best academic minds to understand – like never before – what “normal” aging means. Learn about their work today.
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Best in KLAS for 2025
Merge Cardio and Merge Hemo from Merge by Merative have been ranked Best in KLAS for Cardiology and Hemodynamics, marking the 10th and 13th time respectively for these industry-leading solutions. Read this report to see how they compared to the competition.
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Powering Reporting Progress with Efficiency
Radiologists are looking to maximize their efficiency with new reporting tools that integrate easily with their PACS and RIS. Learn more about solutions from Kailo Medical in this Imaging Wire Show interview with Jason Mercieca and Dieter Smith.
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- AI Finds Colorectal Cancer on CT: A homegrown AI algorithm was able to detect colorectal cancer on routine contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scans acquired for other indications. In a new paper in AJR, South Korean researchers developed an automated AI model and tested it against two radiologists in 26 patients, finding good sensitivity (81% vs. 73% and 81%), and specificity (91% vs. 98% and 99%). AI also detected five of nine colorectal cancers missed by radiologists, suggesting it could have a role for automatically evaluating abdominal CT scans.
- Harrison.ai Raises $112M: Annalise.ai parent company Harrison.ai raised $112M in a Series C funding round (total funding of $240M) that the company will use to fuel its U.S. expansion. The company is setting up a headquarters in Boston to be headed up by founder Dimitry Tran, who will lead efforts to grow both their radiology (Annalise.ai) and pathology (Franklin.ai) solutions in the country. Annalise.ai is also touting their Harrison.rad.1 vision language model for building radiology AI applications.
- Factors Affecting BPE on CEM: Background parenchymal enhancement is a breast cancer risk factor, but BPE on contrast-enhanced mammography is affected by factors such as a woman’s hormonal status. In a new study in Radiology of 507 patients, researchers found that BPE on CEM as measured by median grade was higher in premenopausal vs. postmenopausal women (1.0 vs. 0), with higher levels in lactating women (3.0) and those on hormone replacement therapy (1.5). Tamoxifen therapy reduced BPE. Radiologists should be mindful of the changes during interpretation.
- Decision Support Falls Short: Implementing a clinical decision support system at German hospitals failed to reduce inappropriate imaging orders at a meaningful level. In a new study in JAMA, researchers deployed the European Society of Radiology’s iGuide CDS system at 26 departments across three German hospitals. There was no statistically significant difference in the decline of inappropriate imaging orders at departments that used iGuide versus those that didn’t (-0.5% vs. -1.8%). The findings echo other studies questioning the value of CDS systems.
- Intelerad Touts Strategic Radiology Progress: Intelerad is highlighting milestones in its five-year partnership with independent radiology practice coalition Strategic Radiology. The two companies cemented a purchasing alliance in 2020 and participation quadrupled in 2024, with nine Strategic Radiology practices joining the program in the last 10 months. Across the entire program, Strategic Radiology members tripled their volume commitment, from less than 2M annual imaging studies at the start of last year to over 7M today.
- Mapping the Source of Psychosis: Researchers have found a connection between brain lesions on imaging exams and patients with secondary psychosis, or psychosis caused by a medical condition or substance. In a paper in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers mapped 153 brain lesions in cases of known secondary psychosis, connecting them to a common functional circuit with a peak in the posterior subiculum of the hippocampus. This area could be targeted by treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation to reduce symptoms.
- Cubresa Signs Siemens for Brain PET: Canadian PET developer Cubresa signed an R&D agreement with Siemens Healthineers to investigate integrating its BrainPET technology with Siemens Magnetom MRI scanners. BrainPET is a removable PET insert that enables existing MRI scanners to perform brain PET/MRI scans. The relationship will initially focus on integrating BrainPET with Siemens’ Terra and Terra.X 7T MRI scanners.
- FAPI-PET Finds Myocardial Fibrosis: Myocardial fibrosis is a key healing response after myocardial infarction and is driven by activated cardiac fibroblasts, but little is known about how this critical process works. To answer this question, researchers in JACC used a gallium-68 FAPI radiotracer in PET scans of 40 patients and found that myocardial fibroblast activation peaks within a week of acute MI and extends beyond the infarct region. Although myocardial fibrosis declines slowly with time, it persists for years and leads to subsequent left ventricular remodeling.
- Philips Improves Stroke Care in Ukraine: Philips signed a partnership with the World Bank and Ukraine’s Ministry of Health to improve stroke care in the Eastern European country. Philips will deploy 25 of its Azurion interventional angiography suites to Ukraine to support minimally invasive stroke treatments through neurovascular procedures like thrombectomies. Nineteen Azurion systems have already been installed.
- Imaging Vet Joins Altamont Software: Medical imaging veteran KT Pickard has joined Altamont Software as chief operating officer. Pickard has served in the executive suite at multiple radiology IT startups, including PACSGear, Emageon, eMed Technologies, and MasPar, and has also served stints at ImageMover, Philips, and Amazon Web Services. Altamont was founded in 2016 and develops enterprise-based imaging workflow solutions.
- CT Shows What’s in Your Water Filter: If you ever wondered if water filters really work, check out the latest article from the folks at industrial CT developer Lumafield. After previous studies deconstructing track shoes, virtual reality headsets, and Stanley Quencher mugs, this time they scanned various types of water filters – from LifeStraws to reverse osmosis systems – to determine how they perform and age. In each case, CT scans of new filters showed relatively pristine material composition that changed over time as filter pores became blocked by sediments and impurities.
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A Triple-Award KLAS Win
AGFA HealthCare is celebrating a remarkable triple win in the Best in KLAS awards, achieving two #1 awards for their XERO viewer and VNA alongside the KLAS Most Improved Software Product for 2025. Learn more about their solutions today.
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AMRIC’s Multimodality Approach to Medical Imaging
AMRIC is a new premium imaging clinic on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Learn about their multimodality approach to medical imaging and why they turned to United Imaging for cutting-edge CT, MRI, and molecular imaging technology.
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Ranked #1 Best in KLAS for 3 Consecutive Years
Named Best in KLAS 2025, Microsoft’s PowerShare earns praise from clinicians and other imaging stakeholders for seamless medical image exchange. Hear how it’s benefiting customers and patients.
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- Say Goodbye to On-Premises Costs: Free up resources with cloud-based solutions from Optum for medical imaging. Visit this page to see how you can say goodbye to on-premises costs!
- Revolutionizing 3D Imaging: Learn how Visage Imaging is revolutionizing 3D imaging for radiology with its Visage Ease VP solution for the Apple Vision Pro headset in this video with Steve Deaton, director of customer experience.
- Fill the Gaps of Legacy Solutions and Solve Healthcare Challenges: 69% of imaging leaders cited the costs and time associated with burning CDs as a major concern. Get more insights from a recent survey of imaging leaders and learn how healthcare providers are overcoming common challenges in this article from PocketHealth.
- Overcoming Data Incompatibilities: Mergers and acquisitions can create data integration challenges for healthcare providers. Learn how the merger of Enlitic and Laitek can help your practice through their cutting-edge solutions that lead to successful data migrations.
- How to Standardize CT Images: The quality and appearance of CT scans can vary considerably. In this white paper from Riverain Technologies, find out how image normalization can standardize CT images, making them easier to analyze and interpret.
- Improving Your Mammography Workflow: Want to learn how AI can relieve pressure in your mammography department? Watch this on-demand webinar hosted by Blackford featuring a panel discussing the importance of assessing breast density, image quality reporting, and prioritizing studies.
- Feel the Freedom of Helium-Free MRI: Lift limitations and experience MRI excellence with Philips BlueSeal, the industry’s lightest, vent pipe-free, high-performance, helium-free 1.5T scanner. Save on helium and energy costs, achieve precise AI-enhanced diagnoses, enjoy faster scans, and optimized workflows. Learn more today.
- Integrating AI into Clinical Practice: AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, but it requires a collaborative effort between clinicians and AI experts. In this micro-learning course from Calantic by Bayer, learn about the latest developments in healthcare AI.
- Automated Measurements of Standing Radiographs: Precise lower limb measurements are crucial for assessing musculoskeletal health. Learn how measurements from Gleamer’s BoneMetrics AI solution offer a reliable alternative to manual assessments.
- Transform Your Practice into a Multispecialty Powerhouse: Medality is the practice development platform that helps radiologists upskill in high-growth, advanced imaging areas. Request a demo today and discover how to transform your practice into a multispecialty powerhouse.
- Answers in Sight at HIMSS 2025: Join Intelerad at HIMSS 2025 to explore how they are redefining healthcare imaging with innovative solutions designed to provide a clear path to answers. Book a meeting today or drop by at booth #1048.
- Fast and Reliable Head CT Imaging: Whether portable in the ICU or mobile in the ambulance as a mobile stroke unit, SOMATOM On.site from Siemens Healthineers brings critical care imaging to your patients. With the first-of-its-kind telescopic gantry design, integrated positioning accessories, and proven SOMATOM technologies, you can achieve fast and reliable CT head imaging.
- Presenting Unboxing AI: Check out CARPL’s video series, Unboxing AI, featuring experts discussing AI and its future in radiology. The next episode on February 13 features Saurabh Jha, MD of Penn Medicine – reserve your seat today.
- Seamless, Connected Healthcare: Clearpath is committed to facilitating seamless, continued healthcare by optimizing automation and workflows between patients and providers. Learn how the company’s solutions contribute to a healthcare environment where every step of the patient journey is connected and efficient.
- How AI and Informatics Are Changing Radiology: How are AI-powered health informatics solutions reshaping radiology? Watch this on-demand webinar from DeepHealth to see how informatics is improving the speed and accuracy of cancer detection while giving clinicians advanced operational insights.
- Heart Failure Screening at Home and in Primary Care: Heart failure is the number one cause of hospitalization in people over 65. The SYMPHONY study is investigating a screening strategy of point-of-care AI echo and NT-proBNP in primary practice and general community settings. Learn more on this page from Us2.ai.
- 2 Questions about AI for Radiology Leaders: Are today’s radiology AI solutions solving the right problems? And are there other solutions available for AI of brain MRI? Read this article from SpinTech MRI to learn how their STAGE solution can optimize MRI utilization.
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