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When Radiologists Quit, Cardiac Imaging Radiation, and AI Adoption
February 26, 2026
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Together with
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“In radiology IT, the most expensive tools are often the ones labeled ‘included’ or ‘free.’ What looks like a simple upgrade can quickly become a multi-month conversion, new infrastructure requirements, and significant operational disruption. By the time practices realize the true cost, in downtime, workflow complexity, and physician frustration, they’re already committed.”
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Demetri Giannikopoulos, chief innovation officer at Rad AI
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Thanks to everyone who attended our webinar this week on using agentic AI to monitor radiology operations, featuring Eric Rice of Strings/3DR Labs and Jonathan Shoemaker of Stanford Health. If you weren’t able to attend, you can still watch on-demand.
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The chance that a radiologist would quit their job for a new one doubled over a recent 10-year period. And a new JACR study identifies the exact point in terms of case workload when radiologists are most likely to leave.
The burnout epidemic among healthcare professionals has been closely tied to workload, which has been rising steadily due to growing patient volumes and ongoing staff shortages.
- In radiology, the problem has been exacerbated as radiologists are reading more images (from more complex cases) while the number of new radiologists being trained in residency programs remains static.
In the new paper, researchers from the ACR’s Neiman HPI investigated changes in radiologist turnover from 2013 to 2022 and how they compared with workload as measured by work relative value units, the most standard measure of physician productivity.
- They analyzed data on services provided by 39.4k unique radiologists representing 280.7k radiologist-years over the study period, then correlated that with data on how often radiologists changed practices.
Researchers found…
- The radiologist turnover rate increased 61% (from 5.3% to 8.5%).
- Odds of radiologist turnover were nearly 2X in 2022 versus 2013 (OR = 1.96).
- And were 6% higher for female radiologists and 12% higher for metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan radiologists.
- While academic radiologists had 9% lower turnover odds than nonacademic imagers.
But what about the connection between workload and turnover? This is where the study gets interesting, as the researchers found a U-shaped relationship between the two.
At low wRVU levels, turnover tended to drop as workload went up, perhaps as radiologists found more job satisfaction (and maybe higher pay) with more work to do.
But this changed once wRVUs hit a threshold, and turnover began rising as well, apparently as radiologists found themselves overworked. This inflection point differed for different types of radiologists…
- Occurring at 12.9k wRVUs for all radiologists.
- But at 13.4k wRVUs for private-practice radiologists.
- And only 8.8k wRVUs for academic radiologists.
The 34% lower wRVU threshold for academic radiologists could be because many have prioritized research and teaching, and see a growing clinical care workload as a distraction without commensurate compensation.
The Takeaway
The new study offers a fascinating look at the forces driving when and why radiologists quit, and provides a new benchmark showing precisely where the breaking point is for most radiologists. Let’s hope this data is put to good use.
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Enterprise Imaging Done Differently
Legacy radiology solutions were not designed to carry healthcare organizations into the future. From their first line of code, Mach7 Technologies was designed to meet the imaging needs of the entire healthcare enterprise. Learn more about their unique approach today.
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Meet with Visage at HIMSS 2026
Visage Imaging is not only leading imaging’s move to the cloud, they’ve defined it with their Visage 7 CloudPACS solution, which provides unparalleled speed and interpretation efficiency. Discover how Visage 7 can help you by booking a priority demo at HIMSS 2026 or drop by at booth #3753.
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A New Era of Imaging Technology
MosaicOS is the cloud-native and AI-native operating system from Mosaic Clinical Technologies designed to expand capacity, cut reporting time, and deliver faster, smarter patient care. Discover how it can improve your radiology operations today.
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- Cardiac Imaging Radiation Dose Varies: Radiation dose from cardiac imaging varies greatly, by modality and in different geographic regions. A new analysis in JAMA found that across 19.3k patients worldwide, dose ranged from as low as 1.2 mSv for CAC scoring to 7.4 mSv for CCTA exams. Median radiation dose was lowest for nuclear cardiology and CCTA in Western Europe (4.8 and 4.6 mSv, respectively), and highest in Latin America for nuclear cardiology (7.8 mSv) and Africa for CCTA (25.2 mSv).
- Healthcare AI Adoption Grows: More healthcare providers are actively using AI as part of daily operations. NVIDIA’s annual report on AI use in healthcare and the life sciences found that AI adoption is higher than a year ago (70% vs. 63%), and use of generative AI and large language models is up as well (69% vs. 54%). Clinical decision support is the top healthcare use case (42%), followed by medical imaging and optimizing administrative tasks and workflows (38% each). In all, 47% said they are using AI agents.
- Lung Nodule AI: Help or Hindrance? Whether AI can help radiologists interpret CT lung cancer screening exams and characterize pulmonary nodules is the focus of point-counterpoint articles in AJR this week. On the negative side, lung nodule AI can be vendor-dependent and is often trained on higher-quality diagnostic CT rather than low-dose exams. On the positive side, AI can help radiologists with tasks that are tedious or difficult, such as volumetric nodule measurement, and advances in CT image quality are making AI algorithms more accurate.
- AI for DBT Mammography: A large-scale real-world study in JACR offers support for AI-aided digital breast tomosynthesis screening. Researchers used AI from iCAD (now part of DeepHealth) as part of a study with 103k exams, with AI leading to a 26% higher invasive cancer detection rate per 1k women (5.83 vs. 4.63 cancers) with little change in recall rates (6.96% vs. 6.97%). Radiologists using AI detected more cancer in dense breasts (45% vs. 37%), as well as smaller invasive cancers (10.74 vs. 12.16 mm).
- Does BMI Affect Mammography Recall Rates? A new study suggests that body mass index can affect breast screening recall rates. Researchers in a study in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice analyzed data from 268k screening exams, finding lower odds of recall in women with very low BMI (<18.5 kg/m2) compared to those with normal BMI. Women with very high BMI (>35 kg/m2) had lower recall odds only on their first screening exam, and obese and very obese women who were recalled were more likely to have invasive cancer detected.
- CPT Code for Ultrasound Tomography: In a boost for a relatively new supplemental breast imaging technology, the AMA has approved a Category III CPT code for 3D quantitative transmission volumetric ultrasound tomography of the breast. The establishment of the code, X579T, will enable users to pursue reimbursement for scans with the technology, and in particular will give a commercial boost to QT Imaging, which offers a quantitative ultrasound tomography system. The code goes into effect in January 2027.
- Ultrasound Drives Thyroid Cancer Overdiagnosis: Thyroid cancer incidence has jumped 250% since 1990, but so has overdiagnosis due to rising ultrasound use. That’s according to a new study in JAMA Network Open that calculated overdiagnosis rates from 1991 to 2019 using a model-based simulation of all U.S. adults. Researchers estimated that 72% to 94% of papillary thyroid cancers were overdiagnosed, with higher rates for women than men. Overdiagnosis could be reduced by discouraging ultrasound referral of nonpalpable thyroid nodules.
- Echo AI Aids Cardiac Amyloidosis Detection: Us2.ai’s echocardiography AI solution helped clinicians diagnose cardiac amyloidosis in a new paper in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. In 5.8k patients, Us2.ai-generated measurements were added to an established multiparametric echo scoring system, producing sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 82%. In a separate test, a more automated model called Us2.ca was tested on single-view echo videos, achieving sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 96%. Both techniques could be integrated into clinical practice for automated cardiac amyloidosis screening.
- Medality Launches Cardiac CT Course: Medality launched a new online course to help clinicians improve their interpretation and reporting skills while meeting cardiac CT certification requirements. The 10-week course helps clinicians meet Level 2 cardiac CT certification and is endorsed by the Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Participants will interpret and report actual coronary CT angiography cases on a TeraRecon virtual workstation.
- Brainomix Raises $6.5M for U.S. Expansion: Brainomix raised an additional $6.5M to its previously announced Series C financing, bringing the total round to $25.4M. The company is building a war chest to fund its expansion in the U.S. as it commercializes its portfolio of AI algorithms, including Brainomix 360 Stroke for stroke detection and e-Lung for diagnosing fibrosing lung disease. The new funding comes from a mix of new and existing investors.
- Kids Can Get Half-Dose MRI Contrast Exams: The FDA has approved for pediatric use a new generation of high-relaxivity MRI contrast agents that can be used with half the gadolinium dose of conventional MRI agents. The FDA granted approvals to Bracco for its Vueway agent and Guerbet for its Elucirem product, enabling them to be used in MRI scans of kids. Bracco and Guerbet co-developed the products under the generic name gadopiclenol, and the companies got approvals for adult use in 2022 under their own brand names.
- Bayer’s Contrast Alliance: Bayer signed a partnership with Canadian contrast developer Voyageur Pharmaceuticals designed to advance Voyageur’s development of iodinated contrast media to be manufactured in the U.S. Voyageur recently acquired intellectual property rights to iodine contrast technology, and Bayer will provide milestone-based funding of up to $2.4M in exchange for exclusive rights to negotiate a production agreement. In addition to iodinated contrast, Voyageur is investigating the production of barium contrast.
- FDA Clears CTA Guidance Platform: The FDA cleared software from CARA Medical for guiding cardiac interventional procedures using data from CT angiography. The company’s CARA System includes CARA Metis Simulator for planning procedures involving the cardiac conduction system, while CARA Atlas Navigator is an intraprocedural guidance platform that overlays a model of a patient’s conduction system on live fluoroscopy images for use in TAVR and other valve interventions. CARA System was reviewed through the FDA’s Breakthrough Device program. CARA is a spinout of New York University.
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Book a Meeting with Enlitic at HIMSS 2026
Enlitic empowers healthcare systems to leverage AI to enhance the quality of their medical imaging data. Learn how they can help make your data work for you by booking at meeting at HIMSS 2026, or visit them at booth #5337.
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Shifting the Stage in Lung Cancer Screening
Watch this video from Riverain Technologies to learn how their ClearRead CT solution for lung cancer screening can drive enrollment, earlier detection, and seamless management of incidental findings.
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Empowering Radiologists at the Point of Interpretation
Rad AI and RSNA Ventures have partnered to deliver trusted, peer-reviewed RSNA insights directly into the radiologist’s workflow — at the exact point of interpretation. Watch this on-demand video to find out how it can benefit your practice.
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- Top-Tier Care at Rural Hospitals: Holzer Health System in Jackson, OH, treats local patients like family. In this video, learn how United Imaging equipped Holzer Health with its uMR 570 MRI scanner, helping them to offer top-tier care.
- Uncovering Hidden Cardiac Amyloidosis with Echo: Us2.ai’s automated echocardiography analysis technology was used in the AI-Screen-CA study to surface previously unrecognized cardiac amyloidosis in an unselected clinical population. Learn about its transformative impact on this page.
- Connected Imaging. Empowered Flow: Know those rare and indescribable moments at work when distractions melt away? AGFA HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging Platform is designed to keep you in that hyper-focused state of mind all day long. Learn more about their solutions today.
- Powering Reporting Progress with Efficiency and Interoperability: Radiologists are looking to maximize their efficiency through new reporting tools that integrate easily with their PACS and RIS. Watch this Imaging Wire Show interview with Kailo Medical’s Jason Mercieca and Dieter Smith about new developments in reporting.
- Rapid AI Deployment in Emergency Care: University Hospitals used CARPL to deploy AZmed’s fracture detection tool directly in the emergency department, reducing interpretation time by 30% without disrupting workflows. Learn how UH accelerated AI deployment.
- Transform Your Workflow with Intelligent Imaging: Radiology departments face growing challenges: higher workloads, fewer staff, and tighter budgets. Discover how intelligent imaging technology from Siemens Healthineers streamlines processes, reduces stress, and improves outcomes. Access the white paper now and transform your workflow.
- Leadership in Life Sciences: Quibim is committed to accelerating its development within the life sciences sector and strengthening collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies. Learn about recent leadership developments that are moving the company forward.
- Discover AI-Powered Radiology Screening Solutions: Visit DeepHealth at ECR 2026 to learn more about how they are transforming population health and cancer screening with innovative AI solutions. Book a meeting today or drop by at booth Expo 506.
- Five Years Into the Cloud – And Just Getting Started: John Muir Health in California needed help dealing with its data deluge, which became acute with the adoption of 3D breast tomosynthesis. Find out how they turned to Sectra and its cloud-based enterprise imaging management for a solution.
- A Radiology Question Bank with Analytics: Medality’s new DXIT/Core Radiology SmartBank powered by TrueLearn includes over 800 practice questions aligned to the Diagnostic Radiology In-Training and ABR Qualifying (Core) Exam Domain Blueprints. Assess your readiness for test day now.
- Join Intelerad at HIMSS 2026: Visit Intelerad at HIMSS 2026 to explore how modern imaging workflows can help healthcare organizations deliver faster answers and a better experience for both patients and clinicians. Schedule a meeting today.
- An AI-Powered Solution for Fracture Detection: Gleamer’s BoneView provides radiologists and clinicians with an instant and automatic second reading of trauma bone X-rays, fully integrated into the reading workflow. See how it works today.
- Join Philips at HIMSS 2026: Philips is committed to addressing the complex challenges of healthcare and improving outcomes across communities and care settings. Visit them at HIMSS 2026 booth #2833 to see how they are empowering providers.
- Address Your Imaging Needs Today: With so many options at their disposal, imaging leaders must navigate to the solutions that meet their needs today and set them up for success tomorrow. Discover how solutions from Merge can help you achieve your vision.
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