When you’re a radiologist, your work isn’t just what you do—it’s who you are.

The career is all-consuming; if you follow a traditional path in private practice, you simply have to come to terms with the fact that you’ll devote your life to it—and for nine years, I did.

But when I found myself approaching 40 and already feeling burned out—and Googling around to see whether maybe I could become a history teacher instead of a radiologist—I began to wonder why there weren’t options where I could put my hard-earned skills as a radiologist to use without being exhausted all the time or counting down the days to retirement.

In the face of increasingly sophisticated and more frequent cyberattacks that threaten the sensitive data of all healthcare providers, vRad is continuously advancing our systems to predict, prevent, and respond to these threats. The latest milestone in our commitment to safeguard patient information and other sensitive data is our achievement of SOC 2 Type II compliance.

Radiologists reading on home workstations have become a permanent feature of the post-COVID modern medical landscape. Whether every day or just one or two days a week, the flexibility of working at home is irresistible to many top physicians – and leading radiology groups and imaging facilities should be thinking about the best ways to accommodate and support them.  

I can say from experience, having managed the reading environment for vRad’s 500 radiologists over the past 12 years, that supporting work-from-home options can be time consuming for both the radiologists and the IT team. One area where this comes into play is the workstation displays used by the radiologist to view images. It is up to the facility to ensure that radiologists are reading from displays that are appropriately calibrated, lit, cleaned, and maintained. Without the right tools, managing this can be labor intensive, chewing into the radiologists’ productivity, as well as that of the IT support team. 

We’re in the middle of rolling out Barco internet-enabled diagnostic displays to all 500 of our radiologists. If you’re a practice employing remote readers or a radiologist considering remote work, I’ll share with you the significant challenges we’re solving with these new monitors.  

My journey to teleradiology started with an invitation during residency to join several vRad radiologists for dinner in San Diego. Having trained in a busy academic setting that came with nearly 2 hours per day spent commuting and a never-ending queue of studies to read, I was curious about my options.

As I learned more about the day-to-day work of teleradiology over dinner and in subsequent conversations, I came to realize a lot of what I had thought about teleradiology was outdated and wrong. As I approached my graduation from residency in June 2020–in the midst of the 1^st peak of the COVID pandemic–I decided it was an opportune time to give teleradiology a try and so I signed on with vRad in lieu of continuing on as a Fellow in the hospital setting. When I did, I saw firsthand how much reading remotely has to offer in comparison with traditional onsite radiology practices. It also became more and more clear to me that the taboo surrounding teleradiology is often based on myths and misperceptions. Here are some of the biggest incorrect assumptions that I believe are worth debunking:

More than two years after the onset of the pandemic, changes in COVID-related policies and postures — as well as accompanying cultural shifts in the workplace — continue to drive trends in the job market for radiologists. In 2022, things look markedly different than during the early stages of the pandemic and it’s clear that radiologist job seekers now have many options and greater workplace flexibility.

In my role as Medical Director for vRad, I work very closely with our physician recruiters. Between us we interview hundreds of radiologists every year as they explore options for their next career move. This experience along with the other datapoints available from serving 2,100 imaging facilities and radiology groups nationwide give us unique insights into the radiologist job market nationally.

High demand for imaging combined with a finite supply of board-certified physicians means radiologists can be selective about where and how they practice. Before you choose, examine your own goals and motivations—both personal and professional. Then, find a radiology practice whose culture and processes align with your career expectations and work/life balance needs.

Following are eight questions to ask yourself, along with a few considerations for each.

One of the cornerstones of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was the development of an appropriate use criteria (AUC) program that requires doctors to consult a qualified clinical decision support mechanism (qCDSM) when ordering advanced imaging services for Medicare patients. As many in the revenue cycle management (RCM) world already know, CMS was scheduled to start penalizing providers who don’t participate in the AUC program on Jan. 1, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, led to such actions being delayed until 2023 at the earliest.

The latest CMS data suggest that preparation for AUC has been slow going for many healthcare providers. Consider, for example, that just 9% of CY2020 claims subject to AUC policies were submitted with enough relevant data. The delay in AUC penalties represents a significant opportunity for providers to integrate, educate and test AUC workflows to ensure as little disruption as possible takes place when the payment penalty phase officially (eventually) goes into effect.

Burnout is a horrible thing. And while recent research suggests it affects half of all radiologists, women are bearing the brunt – with 56% of female physicians reporting they’re burned out compared to only 41% of their male counterparts.

Why? In addition to the common burnout factors affecting all radiologists, researchers have also concluded that women are disproportionally shouldering the burden of increased demands at home like eldercare, childcare, and family healthcare. This and the lack of flexibility within practices to balance work and life are making it all the more important for women to consider where they work, what impacts their happiness, and the control they have over their own burnout.

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.