Dear AuntMinnie.com Member,
Radiology practitioners in the U.S. are well aware of the challenges facing their profession. There are shortages of radiologists and technologists, and tight budgets for new equipment and information systems. Reimbursement seems to diminish with each passing year.
But for radiology professionals in the UK, the situation may be even worse. According to an article by contributing writer Peter Staff, nearly half of the equipment currently in use fails to meet standards set by the Royal College of Radiologists. Eighty percent of the equipment is used less than 45 hours per week.
One result is long waiting times -- the average wait for an MRI scan is 20 weeks. Standard x-ray exams are handled quickly, but 20% of them aren't being reported, meaning that some exams could be repeated unnecessarily.
Staff, an elected member of the British Institute of Radiologists Industry committee and a consultant on healthcare matters to the British Houses of Parliament, brings his expertise to bear on the parlous state of radiology in the UK. To read the complete story, just go to our Imaging Center Digital Community at http://imagingcenter.auntminnie.com.
In other news, there's not much time left to nominate your candidates for the Minnies, our annual awards event to recognize the best of radiology. To submit suggestions for nominees in any of our 15 categories, just go to http://minnies.auntminnie.com
If you haven't nominated your favorites yet, make sure to do it soon -- the deadline is September 29.
