so bored with these posts

[bosky]

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What are the most important issues facing radiology in the next 10 years and what do you expect will happen?

-outsourcing
-self referral
-manpower shortage
-depletion of academic staff
-something else

 

[oldandtired]

-outsourcing= No. Licensing/Medicare laws, hospital privileges too tough for this to have a significant impact

-self referral= Tough to say, probably wont change. Some private insurers are already buckling down. Increasing media attention.

-manpower shortage= Will correct. Increasing #s of residency positions, increasing efficiency with PACS and night hawk services.

-depletion of academic staff= Correcting as # of residency grads increases and academic pay scales increase to be more competitive with market conditions.

-something else= Clinician vultures trying to bite a piece of the radiology pie more and more, especially in IR.

 

[phillybabe]

Last but not least the radiology assistants. VCU/MCV just started a radiology assistant program.

 

[Hudson]

-outsourcing= No. Licensing/Medicare laws, hospital privileges too tough for this to have a significant impact

-self referral= Tough to say, probably wont change. Some private insurers are already buckling down. Increasing media attention.

-manpower shortage= Will correct. Increasing #s of residency positions, increasing efficiency with PACS and night hawk services.

-depletion of academic staff= Correcting as # of residency grads increases and academic pay scales increase to be more competitive with market conditions.

-something else= Clinician vultures trying to bite a piece of the radiology pie more and more, especially in IR.

Regarding the manpower shortage: obviously ncreased # of residency positions and increased efficiency with PACS will increased the number of studies that are read, but will these factors offset the purposed increase in the number of studies ordered. The rads residents and wttendings that I have spoken with seem to think that the shortage will persist as the number of studies ordered increases with the aging population. Any Thoughts?

 

[Hudson]

-outsourcing= No. Licensing/Medicare laws, hospital privileges too tough for this to have a significant impact

-self referral= Tough to say, probably wont change. Some private insurers are already buckling down. Increasing media attention.

-manpower shortage= Will correct. Increasing #s of residency positions, increasing efficiency with PACS and night hawk services.

-depletion of academic staff= Correcting as # of residency grads increases and academic pay scales increase to be more competitive with market conditions.

-something else= Clinician vultures trying to bite a piece of the radiology pie more and more, especially in IR.

Just thought I'd add respond to the OP. I agree with Oldandtired.

Outsourcing: Non-medical minds think it would work. Those that know anything aboput medicine and our current system know it would not. This idea will fizzle over the next few years. The savings in cost are not worth the cost of implementation and all the headaches that would ensue. In addition, there will come a time when radiologic studies become mainstream in other countries(India/China). At this time their radiologist will read films from their own country and there would then be NO ONE to read USA studies. Bottom line... Outsourcing=Not going to happen.

Self-referral: If this practice truly drives up costs secondary to unethical practices then it will go by the wayside. Insurance companies will not let it keep happening b/c they care only about the $$$. If having radiological studies done by radiologist at radiologist owned imaging centers proves cheaper than allowing other docs to do their own; then insurance companies will chose the more cost effective alternative everytime. I guess ins companies are our friends on this issue.

Manpower shortage: already discussed in above post.

Academic shortage: will depend on supply and demand in the private practice job market. Will also depend upon how badly institutions want to keep quality faculty aka: offering them more money.

Something else: Oldandtired is dead on. Others will try to do what radiologist already do. This is complex and the entire issue is yet to be played out. Much of it depends on whether IR can become clinically oriented quickly enough to gain control of patients and establish themselves to other docs as capable physicians WILLING to take care of patients in addition to performing procedures. Until this happens other clinicians will do any and all procedures they can get their hands on. It may be hard to fend off other specialties (cards, neurosurg, vasc surg) if IR slots continue to go unfilled. Once up and running the newer IR pathways may help. IR may not be dead, but in order for it to survive and evolve more driven smart individuals need to pursue this fellowship or control will be relinquished to other specialties.