Liza Haar

The problem with the hype about big data is that hype tends to overpromise, Paul Chang, MD, of the University of Chicago, said at RSNA 2016.

“Whenever there is some potentially disruptive or transformative change, we reinvent ourselves,” he said. The role of the radiologist before PACS is drastically different than their role today, Chang said. Notably, the change didn’t kill radiologists, it probably made them better.

The misunderstanding about big data, Chang said, is that it’s something new. But radiology has always had a big data problem.

Chang explains in the video whether radiology is ready for big data and how radiologists can prepare.

Videos

[VIDEO] IT and radiology have to prepare for big data, together.

Big Data Problem in Radiology

ACR’s annual analysis of the radiology workforce reveals telling trends about the profession, and this year’s 

 has an especially powerful finding: the number of radiologists is expected to increase.

2017 ACR Commission on Human Resources Workforce Survey

 analyzes the anatomy of the radiology workforce and predicts hiring trends for the coming year. In 2017, researchers expect to see a 14.1% increase in hiring from 

. The higher end of predicted job openings, 2,370, is a 68% increase from the number of hires made in 2012. In the infographic below, we highlight some of the noteworthy data from this year’s survey.


Practice leaders completed an electronic survey asking them to self-identify their type of practice and the makeup of their groups. Twenty-six percent of practice leaders responded to the survey, which the ACR deemed to represent 33% of all practicing radiologists in the United States. This was a decrease in the 39% of practicing radiologists represented in the 


The makeup of females in radiology continues to be a topic of discussion. About 21% of radiologists are female, 8% of which are practice leaders. This is not statistically significant when compared with the gender distribution of all full-time radiologists, according to the study.


Radiologists continue to pay close attention to retirement trends. A quarter of practice leaders reported having a radiologist retire in 2017, and 50% of retirees were older than 65. Sixty-two percent of all radiologists are between the ages of 35 and 55.


Since 2012, the percentage of general radiologists has dropped significantly: 32.5% of radiologists reporting as general radiologists in 2012 and only 10.4% reporting as general radiologists in 2017. Body imagers make up the largest subspecialty, general interventional radiology and neuroradiology are close seconds.


Other notable trends, according to the study authors, is the number of part-time radiologists (16%) and the number of practices employing part-time radiologists (76%). Researchers also attribute increasing 

 to the decrease in the number of practices registered with the Practice of Radiology Environment Database.
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Articles

The anatomy of the radiology workforce in 2017.

Who is Radiology in 2017?

The most common cause of malpractice litigation in radiology historically has been failure to diagnose, or errors, Leonard Berlin, MD, of the Radiology Department at Skokie Hospital, said at ACR 2016.

Even today, failure to diagnose is still the number one cause of malpractice in radiology. Missed or delayed diagnosis of breast cancer is the leading diagnosis failure, Berlin said, followed by lung cancer and fractures.

Slowly creeping up, however, is failure to communicate, Berlin added. Radiology reports not making it to referring physicians or making it to referring physicians and not patients is the culprit behind failure to communicate, which essentially, can be filed under delayed diagnosis, Berlin said. The increase in failure to communicate is rooted in the volume of work radiologists are responsible for today.

The ACR parameters on communication are the most controversial, Berlin said. Significant, unexpected findings are where the malpractice suits tend to lurk. Berlin cited an ACR study that showed 28% of radiologists call the referring physician for significant, unexpected findings.

“That’s the problem,” he said. “That’s where the law suits occur.”

[VIDEO] Leonard Berlin, MD, talks malpractice at ACR 2016.

Failure to Diagnose and Communicate in Radiology

One of the biggest challenges in radiology is the quality of data received from referring physicians, Melody W. Mulaik, MSHS, president and co-founder of Coding Strategies, said at AHRA 2016.The issue can be overwhelming, she said, but with buy in from the department, administration, and radiologists, it is possible to get better data. She offered seven tips on how to tackle the issue.

Slideshows

How radiology practices can get better data.

Author | Liza Haar

Articles

Big Data Problem in Radiology

Who is Radiology in 2017?

Failure to Diagnose and Communicate in Radiology

7 Tips for Getting Better Data from Referring Physicians