Radiologists provide more than 'reads'
The concept that radiologists provide "reads," as opposed to professional interpretation services, is degrading to the profession and misleading to those outside of our profession. It plays into the hands of all who seek to minimize and undervalue our work.
A comment regarding the editorial by John C. Hayes, "Radiology could face disruption under 'spot market' for image reads" (September, page 5).
The concept that radiologists provide "reads," as opposed to professional interpretation services, is degrading to the profession and misleading to those outside of our profession. It plays into the hands of all who seek to minimize and undervalue our work. If we as radiologists accept this "reads" label, then we will get what we deserve-relegation to commodity status with our work farmed out to the lowest bidder.
It is contradictory to insist that we are physicians concerned with the well-being and medical care of our patients and then allow our services to be treated as an auto manufacturer (payer) might treat a car part (read) placed on a vehicle (examination) by a worker (radiologist) as it traverses an assembly line (imaging service encounter).
James B. Ball Jr., M.D.
Longwood, FL
Emerging AI Algorithm Shows Promise for Abbreviated Breast MRI in Multicenter Study
April 25th 2025An artificial intelligence algorithm for dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI offered a 93.9 percent AUC for breast cancer detection, and a 92.3 percent sensitivity in BI-RADS 3 cases, according to new research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference.
The Reading Room Podcast: Current Perspectives on the Updated Appropriate Use Criteria for Brain PET
March 18th 2025In a new podcast, Satoshi Minoshima, M.D., Ph.D., and James Williams, Ph.D., share their insights on the recently updated appropriate use criteria for amyloid PET and tau PET in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Can Abbreviated Breast MRI Have an Impact in Assessing Post-Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response?
April 24th 2025New research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference suggests that abbreviated MRI is comparable to full MRI in assessing pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Clarius Mobile Health Unveils Anterior Knee Feature for Handheld Ultrasound
April 23rd 2025The T-Mode Anterior Knee feature reportedly offers a combination of automated segmentation and real-time conversion of grayscale ultrasound images into color-coded visuals that bolster understanding for novice ultrasound users.
