From the March 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

A pediatric radiologist at a major children’s hospital told me that she left a private practice because she felt as though she was “dumped on” by her associates who required her to be on call endlessly for overnight emergency pediatric procedures, and none of the adult radiologists would touch a pediatric study to avoid the 18 years of liability associated with the exam. Such an experience can be alienating for the pediatric radiologist, and in her case, the move to the children’s hospital came with a significant decrease in compensation. Indeed, pediatric radiology is seen as a lesser paid career path which further deters radiologists from considering it.

With a shortage of pediatric radiologists looming, how can we right the ship?
Most large children’s hospitals either employ radiologists directly or contract with a university practice. Very few large children’s hospitals contract with private practice groups. Children’s hospitals must face the reality that they may need to increase compensation if they want to foster recruitment of certified pediatric radiologists. With more pediatric facilities implementing 24-hour staffing of radiologists, children’s hospitals are prioritizing coverage over productivity. This means that the value of having final interpretations available at all hours is important enough to staff radiologists at times when the workload is low. If children’s hospitals continue to place a high premium on having certified pediatric radiologists available, it is likely that they will need to increase pay during the daytime just as they have decided to offer incentive pay for nighttime coverage.
Hospitals have allowed the overutilization of radiology services because it results in billable procedures. However, this is in direct contradistinction to the mission of recent reforms in health care. Facilities may soon be penalized for low-quality practices such as these. Hospital administrators should consider employing pediatric radiologists as quality officers who can better regulate the appropriate ordering of imaging studies to reduce pediatric exposure to radiation and radiology-associated anesthesia. This would likely improve job satisfaction of pediatric radiologists while helping control radiology costs. Practicing medicine with the best interest of the patient in mind may come at the cost of fewer exams, but it is the ultimate form of following the Hippocratic oath.

March 2018 Magazine

Read more stories from the March 2018 issue

More Magazine Features

U.S. Healthcare Homepage