The academic radiologist's clinical productivity: an update

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Economics

Background:

• Academic radiology departments rely on accurate workload metrics for effective faculty staffing.
• Previous studies have established benchmarks, but these require regular updates to reflect current practice.
• Understanding changes in clinical workload is crucial for departmental planning and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update the assessment of clinical workload for academic radiologists.
• To compare current workload data with findings from the past decade.
• To inform faculty staffing requirements based on contemporary workload data.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted by the Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) in 2003.
• Data included Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes from radiologists across 23 academic departments.
• CPT codes were converted to relative value units (RVUs) per full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty, with adjustment factors applied for workload variations, including a new factor for nuclear medicine.

Main Results:

• The average clinical workload in 2003 was 5,872 RVU/FTE, a 32% increase from 1998 (4,458 RVU/FTE) and a 55% increase from 1996 (3,790 RVU/FTE).
• The number of examinations per FTE increased by a smaller margin (17%) since 1998.
• Adjustment factors remained largely consistent with 2001, with a new factor introduced for nuclear medicine.

Conclusions:

• Adjusted RVU/FTE metrics are valuable for determining optimal staffing at both subspecialty and departmental levels.
• Clinical workload in academic radiology continues to rise.
• The increase in workload is driven more by examination complexity than by the sheer volume of procedures.