About 80% of full-time radiologists at the VA Washington DC Healthcare System resigned over six months, contributing to delays in radiology studies and two service disruptions, according to an Aug. 5 report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.
The facility lost all radiologists who interpreted body MRIs in July 2025, resulting in curtailed body MRI services. A radiologist shortage also contributed to a backlog of CT studies. Facility leaders used community care, recruitment efforts and radiologists from other VA facilities to address the disruptions and reported that the CT backlog had been eliminated by Jan. 28.
The inspector general also found facility leaders did not notify quality management or locally track incomplete radiology studies as required. After reviewing six patient cases, the inspector general raised concerns about delayed studies and results with facility and Veterans Integrated Service Network leaders, who were unaware of the cases and their potential clinical effects. A subsequent facility review found no actual patient harm.
The facility later reviewed 2,734 radiology records and found that 352, or 13%, had delayed interpretations, meaning they were not read within seven days. The facility said all identified cases had appropriate clinical follow-up when indicated.
The inspector general issued three recommendations addressing radiology workforce sustainability, patient safety assessments and reporting of actual or potential harm from incomplete studies.
“The DC VAMC saw a temporary downturn in radiologists last December but quickly recovered and now has more radiologists on board than it did in FY2024,” Quinn Slaven, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, told Becker’s. “This is despite the fact that VA radiologists are subject to a pay cap under federal law, creating an additional challenge to recruit and retain these professionals that is not present in other healthcare systems. VA OIG found no patient harm resulting from that period, and the availability of contract and fee basis radiologists at DC VAMC is now stronger than ever before.”
