The Reading Room Podcast: Current Perspectives in Addressing Burnout in Radiology

Given growing volumes for CT, MRI and PET imaging and an ongoing shortage of radiologists accelerated by retirements and shifts to part-time roles, Krishna Nallamshetty, M.D., says there is a considerable “mismatch really putting a tremendous amount of pressure on our physicians.”

In this environment with ongoing burnout challenges, hiring and retaining radiologists requires meeting them where they are, noted Dr. Nallamshetty during a recent Diagnostic Imaging podcast.

“If you think about hiring physicians into our practice, there is no model. It is completely flexible based on what the radiologist needs. So that could include what types of studies they're reading, what time of day they're working, where they're working from, and any sort of interactions they want to have with the care delivery teams. So we've created 100 percent flexibility for every radiologist to feel that they really have curated the type of work environment that they want,” emphasized Dr. Nallamshetty, the chief medical officer for Radiology Partners.

Dr. Nallamshetty maintained that technology plays a significant role in bolstering efficiency, reducing administrative burden and mitigating burnout. He pointed out that the generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities with the recently launched MosaicOS platform (Radiology Partners) emphasizes more of a focus on image interpretation and deemphasizes navigation of a voice reporting system.

“It's as if you had another human being, radiologist, fellow or resident sitting next to you, and you're looking at the images and you're rattling off what you want to say in layman's terms. What the system does for you is it … synthesizes that information and then generates a report based on what you said in a structured format that our referring physicians want,” added Dr. Nallamshetty, a professor and chair of radiology at the University of South Florida.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Emerging Trends with Burnout in Radiology: An Interview with Chris Mattern, MD, Part 2,” “Burnout in Radiology: Key Risk Factors and Promising Solutions” and “Four Strategies to Address the Tipping Point in Radiology.”)

For more insights from Dr. Nallamshetty, listen below or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.