An article in Thursday's New York Times highlights ongoing problems in St. Barnabas Hospital's radiology residency program in the context of the radiology market's declining fortunes overall.
AuntMinnie.com features published last month and also on Thursday have discussed the planned cancellation -- and now the temporary reprieve -- of the Bronx hospital's radiology residency program, as well as the reasons behind the facility's still-fluid plans.
The Times coverage focused on residents stuck with expensive student loans and no jobs as part of a broader trend tied to teleradiology outsourcing and Medicare reimbursement cuts.
"For years, medical students who chose a residency in radiology were said to be on the ROAD to happiness," wrote Times reporter Nina Bernstein. "The acronym highlighted the specialties -- radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and dermatology -- said to promise the best lifestyle for doctors, including the most money for the least grueling work."
But no longer. Radiology graduates with massive student loan balances are having trouble finding any kind of work, let alone radiology positions paying $400,000 a year or more, and are wondering if it's too late to switch specialties, according to the article.
One St. Barnabas resident interviewed for the article, Dr. Luke Gerges, said he was $300,000 in debt when he received notice that the residency program would be ending.
Radiology is facing a triple whammy of cut-rate competition driven by teleradiology firms in the U.S. and abroad, doubts about the value of advanced imaging and Medicare cuts, and a new push to funnel money to primary care, according to the article.
Dr. Paul Ellenbogen, chairman of the American College of Radiology, called St. Barnabas' treatment of its residents "unconscionable," but said that radiology has been subject to a dozen cuts in Medicare reimbursement totaling $6 billion since 2006, the Times reported.
