Emerging Trends with Burnout in Radiology: An Interview with Chris Mattern, MD, Part 1

Radiologists had the third highest intent to leave the profession (39 percent) among physician specialties, according to a recent American Medical Association (AMA) survey.

Chris Mattern, M.D., in a recent interview with Diagnostic Imaging, said a variety of trends in radiology may be contributing to these survey findings and increasing cases of burnout.

Foremost among these factors is the widening chasm between yearly double-digit increases in imaging utilization and less than one percent annual increases in the number of radiologists, according to Dr. Mattern.

“The math obviously doesn't work out and at some point, that elastic has stretched to the point of breaking, and we've been at or beyond that point now for a few years,” said Dr. Mattern, the associate chief medical officer for radiologist experience at Radiology Partners.

While there are increasing numbers of radiologists are working remotely, Dr. Mattern suggested there may be a growing disconnect with working in more of an isolated setting. Dr. Mattern said this may be a key factor contributing to early retirement for radiologists in their 50s and 60s.

The increased demand for radiologists has also led to higher compensation levels that may enable younger and mid-career radiologists seeking more of a work-life balance to opt for more of a part-time role.

“I think there's a lot of folks, again in that younger age group than we might have seen before, that are saying, well, there's a lot of need, and I can find various places I can work at a pretty part-time basis and still make a decent income doing that. That allows me to sort of retire from full-time (work) at a much earlier age,” noted Dr. Mattern, a neuroradiologist affiliated with Greensboro Radiology in Greensboro, N.C.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Burnout in Radiology: Key Risk Factors and Promising Solutions,” “Four Strategies to Address the Tipping Point in Radiology” and “Can Short-Term Measures Provide Some Relief with the Radiologist Shortage?”)

For more insights from Dr. Mattern, watch the video below.