The studies, “Projected US Radiologist Supply, 2025 to 2055” and “Projected US Imaging Utilization, 2025 to 2055,” were conducted by researchers at Reston, Va.-based Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, according to a Feb. 12 news release from the institute.
Here are four things to know from the research:
- If the number of radiology residency positions remain the same, the number of radiologists in the workforce will increase 25.7% between 2023 and 2055.
- If current imaging rates remain standard, there will be an estimated 16.9% to 26.9% increase in imaging utilization by 2055.
- “Given the comparable projected levels of growth in supply and demand, the present radiologist shortage is projected to persist unless steps are taken to grow the workforce and/or decrease per person imaging utilization,” Eric Christensen, PhD, research director at the Neiman Institute, said in the release. “In other words, the shortage is not projected to get worse, nor will it likely improve in the next three decades without effective action.”
- The researchers also found that radiologists began leaving the workforce at a 50% higher rate starting in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If attrition rates return to pre-COVID levels, it will equate to 3,116 more radiologists in 2055 compared to our current (post-COVID) trajectory,” Elizabeth Rula, PhD, executive director at the Neiman Institute, said in the release.
Read the full radiologist supply study here and the full imaging utilization study here.
