From the March 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Another practice which can help recruit pediatric radiologists is the expansion of research. The amount of health-related diagnostic data that radiologists possess is enormous, yet hospitals often choose to focus on clinical productivity over academic inquisition. This has resulted in a very small number of academically productive children’s hospitals, as the top three children’s hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report have been unchanged as long as the publication has ranked its honor roll designees. These rankings are often used in hospital marketing, and radiology departments can serve as hubs to drive the research output that can improve rankings. Children’s hospitals should incentivize academic radiology by decreasing clinical requirements for radiologists who acquire extramural support and publish liberally. This can serve as a recruitment tool by offering an improved lifestyle for prospective pediatric radiologists.
Children’s hospitals should be aware that the number of available pediatric radiologists is on the decline. It seems likely that those in need of certified pediatric radiologists will need to consider increasing compensation for pediatric radiology services if they wish to remain competitive as the radiology job market recovers. Pediatric radiologists are underutilized with respect to choosing the correct exam. By taking advantage of the data that radiology has to offer, children’s hospitals are poised to improve their reputations while offering more attractive jobs at the same time.
About the author: Dr. Cory Pfeifer is a pediatric radiologist and pediatric neuroradiologist in the Department of Radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Pfeifer has published extensively on the topics of radiology education and radiology policy over the past three years.
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