On-site diagnostic radiologists interacrt with referring physicians, staff, and patients, expanding their role beyond reading images.
Diagnostic radiologists are central figures in the medical imaging department as their role goes beyond image interpretation, according to a study published in the Journal of American College of Roentgenology.
The usual perception of radiologists is that they spend much of their time reading images. Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Fraser Health Authority, both in Vancouver, Canada, undertook a prospective, observational, randomized study to quantify the type of value-based interactions experienced by radiologists on a regular basis.
A trained observer followed and recorded the activities of 14 staff diagnostic radiologists in three hospitals (one tertiary care academic facility and two community-based facilities) in October and November 2012. Approximately 154 work hours were monitored.
The results showed that diagnostic radiologists spent only 36.4 percent of their time on image interpretation, with the rest of their time devoted to non-interpretive tasks, such as protocol requisitions, supervising and monitoring studies, performing image-guided procedures, consulting with physicians, and directly caring for patients.
The researchers noted that total clinical productivity was 87.7 percent and the radiologists experienced, on average, six interactions per hour with other health personnel. Interruptions were sometimes as frequent as 12 times per hour.
These findings demonstrate that diagnostic radiologists play an important role on a daily basis, which indicates that their presence on-site provides added value to the facilities.
A Victory for Radiology: New CMS Proposal Would Provide Coverage of CT Colonography in 2025
July 12th 2024In newly issued proposals addressing changes to coverage for Medicare services in 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its intent to provide coverage of computed tomography colonography (CTC) for Medicare beneficiaries in 2025.
The Reading Room: Artificial Intelligence: What RSNA 2020 Offered, and What 2021 Could Bring
December 5th 2020Nina Kottler, M.D., chief medical officer of AI at Radiology Partners, discusses, during RSNA 2020, what new developments the annual meeting provided about these technologies, sessions to access, and what to expect in the coming year.
ACR Collaborative Model Leads to 35 Percent Improvement with Mammography Positioning Criteria
July 1st 2024Noting significant variation with facilities for achieving passing criteria for mammography positioning, researchers found that structured interventions, ranging from weekly auditing of images taken by technologists to mechanisms for feedback from radiologists to technologists, led to significant improvements in a multicenter study.
New Study Shows Non-Radiologists Interpreting 28 Percent of Imaging for Medicare Patients
June 28th 2024While radiologists interpreted approximately 99 percent of all non-cardiac CT, MRI and nuclear medicine studies in hospital and emergency department settings for Medicare beneficiaries, new research shows significantly less radiologist review of cardiac imaging and office-based imaging.