Radiologists are looking for more work-life balance. In response, practices of all sizes have been letting rads read from home.

But here’s the catch. By itself, teleradiology doesn’t optimize work-life balance. In fact, a virtual workplace can be every bit as demanding and draining as a traditional office. If you don’t have access to seasoned, telehealth-specific technology, support and culture—you’re only jumping from frying pan to fire when you work remotely.

As a physician recruiter, I speak with hundreds of radiologists every year considering remote reading to achieve better work-life balance. Many of whom have found that harmony working for vRad. With that in mind, here are my six must-ask questions for rads doing due diligence on reading remotely.

Originally published by Scott Baginski, MD on Radiology Business

Radiologists have an important choice to make at the beginning of their careers: do they want to start a fellowship after their residency or immediately join a radiology practice?

Both options can be incredibly rewarding for a young radiologist. And the good news is, there’s no wrong answer.

Radiologists often choose to continue their training after their residency and pursue a one-or two-year subspecialty fellowship. On the other hand, some may find that they would rather skip the fellowship and join a practice right away. And that’s great too! You don’t have to be fellowship-trained by any means to have a long, successful career in radiology. Some of the happiest, most successful radiologists I know are general radiologists.

Originally published by Michael Walter on Radiology Business

Medical malpractice claims are a significant source of anxiety for all radiologists. Unfortunately, decisions made in the heat of the moment, with the absolute best intentions, can still land a specialist in court.

In my role as chief medical officer for vRad, I’m intimately involved with our radiology malpractice claims and have observed commonalities among them. To quantify these observations, I recently analyzed all 220 claims made against vRad radiologists between June 2017 and October 2020—applying a detailed classification taxonomy including the alleged type of miss, study type, if the standard of care was met, if communication failures contributed, settlement, and so on.

What emerged from that data was a clear set of guidelines to help radiologists avoid the costliest and most likely cases to go to trial.

I am extremely pleased to announce that beginning in 2022, vRad radiologists will see a compensation increase of up to 25%.

This will be the largest pay hike in the history of our practice and it will benefit all vRad radiologists. As part of a long-term reinvestment strategy in our radiologists, it is the fourth increase since 2019 and it reflects our values in compensating radiologists for the time, effort, and expertise required to advance vRad as a premier practice.

Can you recall the last shift during which you spent close to 100% of your time on clinical duties?

I can. It was my last shift. I had no administrative obligations, no committee meetings, no software glitches, no running around trying to find a physician or tech—just eyes on images and voice into the mic.

Then again, every shift is like that for me. After working in several private practices, I’ve spent the last 11 years doing full-time teleradiology—backed 24/7 by a superb support team of 51 dedicated staff.

Radiologist salaries average $420,000 to $430,000 annually. Last year was an outlier due to COVID, when the collective figure dipped to around $413,000, according to Medscape’s latest physician salary survey.

Whether or not your salary is in line with these figures, now is a great time to take stock and ask yourself the following:

1. Am I happy with the money I’m making as a radiologist?
2. Am I content with the hours I’m putting in to get there?
3. Am I even in control of my earnings and how hard do I have to work?