Dear AuntMinnie member,
With the ongoing shortage of radiologists and ever-increasing imaging volume, it’s not surprising that radiology report turnaround times have increased significantly over the last decade. And in 2024 – the most recent year with complete claims data – that trend continued for Medicare patients, albeit at a slower pace than in 2023, according to researchers from the Harvey L. Neiman Policy Institute. Our coverage was the most highly viewed story on AuntMinnie last week.
Also, a pilot program at UMass Memorial Health that routed urgent primary care patients directly to radiology instead of the ED cut the time from patient arrival to imaging results by nearly 50%. Click here for our report.
Another significant study this week from the Neiman Institute found that dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone scans have dropped by 35% in Medicare patients from 2005 to 2023. What’s causing the decline? Click here for all of the details.
We continue to post new podcasts every week to the AuntMinnie Podcast Network. Episode 14 of the Ultrasound MinnieCast focuses on the sonographer job market and you can access it here.
Nominations are pouring in for the Minnies, our annual awards program recognizing excellence in radiology. If you haven’t submitted your favored candidates, you can submit them here. We’ll be announcing the semifinalists in September.
Please see below for our other top stories of the week.
Erik L. Ridley
Editor in Chief
AuntMinnie.com
1. Imaging turnaround times continued to climb in 2024
2. Bone scan testing has fallen 35% among Medicare beneficiaries
3. Surveillance imaging doesn’t improve pancreatic cancer survival
4. CT-selected thrombectomy shows 1-year benefit in large-core stroke
5. Avoiding the ED cuts urgent CT turnaround time by half
6. Ultrasound MinnieCast, Episode 14: Weathering the sonographer shortage
7. Patient-friendly radiology reports improve comprehension
8. VLM miss most lung nodules on chest x-rays
9. PET/MRI detects arterial inflammation in prostate cancer patients