August 28, 2008 — The most common modalities owned by radiologists were magnetic resonance and computed tomography scanners, according to The 2007 Survey of Radiologists: Practice Characteristics, Ownership, and Affiliation With Imaging Centers, by James W. Moser, Ph.D., published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).
The study yields data on topics gathered from the responses of a recent ACR survey. The 2007 survey was completed by 601 currently practicing radiologists. The most frequently reported subspecialties were interventional radiology at nearly 20 percent, and neuroradiology at approximately 16 percent. Mean practice size was reported at 20 full-time radiologists with radiologists performing 14,000 imaging studies annually.
In regards to affiliation with imaging centers, nearly half of the respondents indicated they had equity interest in the centers. The most common modalities owned by radiologists were magnetic resonance and computed tomography scanners — this may be because these tend to be among the most frequently used modalities in the non-hospital setting. Furthermore, equipment ownership rates in non-metropolitan and rural areas were much higher than in urban locations. This first of two JACR articles highlights important trends in radiology and how they compare to a similar survey conducted by the ACR in 2003.
The changing nature of the radiology practice is addressed in this JACR issue, which summarizes discussions on how radiologists can take action to respond to these challenges, on radiology practice models and the importance of appropriate structure and planning in current radiology practices that took place at the 2008 ACR Forum in January.
For more information: www.acr.org
