Non-Relative Value Unit-Generating Activities Represent One-Fifth of Academic Neuroradiologist Productivity

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Neuroradiologist workload extends beyond interpreting imaging studies that generate relative value units (RVUs).
• Clinical activities such as consults and conferences are often unquantified, despite their importance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a straightforward method for recording and quantifying non-RVU generating clinical activities.
• To assess the volume of neuroradiologists' involvement in consults and clinical conferences, including tumor boards.

Main Methods:

• Four full-time neuroradiologists systematically recorded non-RVU activities over three months.
• A user-friendly, web-based application accessible via various devices was utilized for data collection.
• Data on interpreted imaging studies and associated RVUs were extracted from the institutional billing system.

Main Results:

• Over three months, neuroradiologists interpreted 4,241 RVU-generating studies, yielding 8,152 work RVUs.
• A total of 792 non-RVU generating study reviews were recorded for consults and conferences.
• These non-RVU activities represented 19% of the volume of interpreted RVU-generating imaging studies.

Conclusions:

• A simple web-based application can effectively record and quantify non-RVU generating activities like consults and conferences.
• Quantifying these activities is essential during the shift from volume-based to value-based healthcare.
• This data is vital for accurate staffing, resource allocation, and potentially influences payment models.