Radiologists are 10% more likely to practice as subspecialists than as generalists after experiencing a practice closure, a recent study found.
The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study, published Oct. 27 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, used data from nearly 240,000 radiologist-years between 2014 and 2021.
Here are four findings:
1. The increase in subspecialization goes above the 21% higher likelihood of subspecialization among all radiologists that occurred in the time studied.
2. Between 2014 and 2021, the percentage of subspecialists rose from 45.6% to 57%.
3. Radiologists in practices with at least one rural site were 29% less likely than those without rural sites to turn to subspecialties in the following year after consolidation or closure.
4. Consolidation into larger practices increased the opportunity for specialization among radiologists. This allowed more radiologists to focus on their practice in a specialized area rather than meeting a diverse number of needs.
“Growing subspecialization in medicine has the benefit of advanced expertise for complex care, but it can also cause access challenges for care across more common clinical needs,” Elizabeth Rula, PhD, executive director of the Neiman Institute, said in an Oct. 28 news release from the organization. “The increasing trend toward practice consolidation may inadvertently affect the distribution of subspecialization in the field of radiology. In particular, we observed a rural/urban difference in subspecialization trends that could result in discrepancies in access to specialized care.”
