“Most Fair Compensation of Anywhere I’ve Ever Worked:” Radiologist Compensation Transparency at vRad

Written by Henry Junkert | November 25, 2025

Compensation is one of the most important factors when considering your next career move. You should never have to wonder what you’re earning or how it’s calculated, all within a system that isn’t fully transparent and fair.

In some practices, issues like cherry-picking, uneven workloads, or pay-per-click models tied to payer reimbursement can create confusion, frustration, and mistrust.

At vRad, our productivity-based compensation model is designed to eliminate those concerns and give you clarity and confidence in every step.

All vRad radiologists are on the same, published, compensation rates.
Seniority does not affect pay.
There are no minimum reading rates or quotas.
Radiologists have the freedom to choose between being an Employee or 1099 Contractor, plus many scheduling options.
vRad’s unique Work Unit reflects the real time and effort required to read each study, and disincentivizes cherry-picking.
Shift rates are published and consistent across the practice.
Higher-need coverage times or less desirable reading hours pay more, like holidays, weekends, deep nights, etc.
You can see exactly what you’re earning in real time within the platform. You can even look back months or years to understand your historical earnings and know what to expect.
If you CHOOSE to work beyond your shift, you’ll get compensated at a bonus rate.

Why? Because we believe what’s good for the radiologist is also good for the practice.

Watch what vRad radiologists say about their compensation, then scroll down to check out some common questions I hear from curious radiologists every day.

It's the most fair compensation of anywhere I've ever worked. It's completely transparent and it makes everyone feel valued that they're getting paid for the hard work that they do. I've been with vRad now since 2017, but I've been doing teleradiology since 2010. There are the situations ... they had a percentage of whatever they collected, and it's like, I don't know how much you're collecting. It wasn't very transparent. Here I know it's gonna be a certain amount because I'm being paid by the Work Unit. I'm Scott Baginski. I'm a vRad medical director. vRad uses an internal Work Unit system that we developed ourselves. We have read millions of studies, and we know the average amount of time that it takes to read a certain study. We base our Work Unit values off that average time it takes to read. So, it's different than a CMS work RVU because what we found is the CMS work RVUs really are kind of divorced from how long it actually takes to read a study, and it's all over the place. You get paid fairly. You get paid for what you do. There's actually a little button you can click on your computer. You can see what you've made that night and what you've made that month to date. And then you can click to see if a year ago that month you were more productive or less productive. What attracted me to vRad was, I was looking for a teleradiology opportunity, and I was looking for a lot of flexibility in my work schedule. I wanted to work less amount of hours but I wanted to keep my income. Literally that was my main motivating factor. And at vRad you can do that. My stress level from the first day that I started working at vRad just went down tremendously. I used to be anxious, mad, angry before every shift because I knew what was going to happen. I knew my partners were going to cherry-pick. I knew that I would be left to do the hard cases. No one cherry-picks here, you get a list, and you just go down one after the other. Making our internal Work Unit values, we actually developed what we call the Hot Potato Index. Those are the cases like CTA runoffs and arterial ultrasounds, things like that, that might get bounced around a particular practice, that nobody wants to read. We realize that nobody wants to read those, and so we increase the Work Unit value for those. Just working on a pure productivity base works out fine. Whatever you want to work, you work and you get that money. My productivity is probably four or five times higher than it was in private practice. The thing is that you're getting paid for what you do. So, if you do a little extra, you know, you make a little extra. Compared to a lot of hospital-based groups, on-site stuff. It's perfectly fair. You want to sign up for extra shifts and do more work. That's great. You're going to get paid more, as opposed to if you're in a private practice and they say, we need you to come in an extra two days next week. You're getting the same salary. I'm much happier with the reimbursement that I get from vRad. This is where I'm going to be until the end of my career.

Fair and transparent pay means radiologists always know how their work and their time translate into income. With a compensation model that rewards effort and provides real-time visibility, vRad ensures every radiologist is compensated equitably for the work they do, without guesswork or being expected to work extra time without extra pay.

For a personal compensation calculation (with no strings), get in touch with a recruiter.

Common Questions From Radiologists Considering vRad

How does vRad’s compensation compare to traditional radiology practices?
Traditional groups often use fixed salaries or RVU-based models. vRad’s model is fully transparent and based on published Work Unit rates and real-time tracking, so radiologists always know how their compensation is calculated.

Key takeaway: vRad offers a fully transparent, performance-based model; not fixed or opaque salary structures.

What is a Work Unit and why does vRad use it?

Unlike traditional RVUs, vRad’s Work Unit was developed and continues to be fine-tuned, by analyzing more than 6.8 million studies each year, to match the time and effort it takes to read each study. This creates a more accurate representation of workload and ensures radiologists are compensated equitably for the work they do. The entire system is fully visible to radiologists, and the financial incentive to cherry pick “high value” studies has been minimized, since we base our unit on time to read, and it takes approximately the same amount of time to achieve similar outputs.

Key takeaway: vRad’s Work Unit measures true effort, ensures equitable pay, and prevents cherry-picking.

How does vRad make radiologist pay transparent?

Radiologists at vRad have full visibility into how every dollar is earned. Work Unit rates, shift differentials, and our bonus shift program rates are published, and productivity and reading volume are tracked in real time on vRad’s Work Unit ticker.

Key takeaway: All shift rates and earnings data are consistent across the practice and visible in real time.

Are those shift rates the same for all radiologists?

Yes. Every radiologist at vRad is paid from the same published rate structure. There are no private deals, hidden adjustments, or behind-the-scenes conversations. Bonuses for high-need shifts (holidays, weekends, deep nights, extra hours) are published as well. The rate per Work Unit and all shift modifiers are visible to every radiologist.

Key takeaway: Every radiologist is paid from the exact same published rate structure, no exceptions.

Do vRad radiologists get paid more for extra hours or staying late?

Yes! Extending your shift or voluntarily logging in when additional help is needed is not only appreciated but compensated at an accelerated rate. Plus, it’s a radiologist’s choice to pick up extra hours or not.

Key takeaway: Extra hours are compensated at a published bonus rate and are entirely by choice.

Are part-time radiologists paid differently?

Part-time radiologists have a similar, transparent base rate structure, with only minor, published differences, and can take advantage of all the same shift differentials and bonuses as full-time employees.

Key takeaway: Part-time radiologists get a transparent base rate and can add on all the same shift bonuses as full-time rads.

Since I’m getting paid by the Work Unit, what if I get stuck on hold, trying to find a physician for a critical case? That doesn’t seem fair.

Good news! You shouldn’t ever be stuck on hold, because physicians are contacted by our 24/7/365, in-house Operations Center. We give as many admin tasks as possible to our OC so our radiologists can just keep reading. The OC handles provider phone calls, fetching extra images or information, chasing down previous studies, and more. You just read at the rate that feels right to you.

Key takeaway: Radiologists spend nearly all their time reading, so their compensation goes directly to clinical work, not admin tasks.

What if I want to increase my earnings at vRad?

Radiologists at vRad can look at their comfortable reading speed and then dial their earnings up or down. Real-time tracking helps you estimate monthly or yearly income, and you can choose to read more or less, based on your needs. If you pick up extra shifts, you’ll earn at a published bonus rate, always by choice. Shift and Work Unit rates are fixed and transparent, so your income is truly in your hands.

Key takeaway: Income is significantly within each radiologist’s control, with transparent rates and optional bonus-rate shifts.

vRad’s pay structure seems needlessly complex. Why isn’t it more straightforward?

It can seem that way at first, with shift differentials and bonus rates. But our radiologists find that once they talk it through with a recruiter and understand it better, they really like how fair it is. They also like the way they can use the bonuses to adjust their income as they like.

It’s less simple than being able to tell you a for-sure number, but our radiologists describe it as “perfectly fair and well thought out” and the “most transparent pay model” they’ve experienced.

Key takeaway: vRad’s pay structure may be more complex than you’re used to, but every adjustment helps the model be as fair as possible to each individual radiologist.

How much do radiologists at vRad earn?

Because compensation is driven by how many studies you read and varies by shift type, reading volume, and schedule, income varies widely. And that’s okay! Each radiologist who works for vRad has a different set of financial, personal, and professional goals, and we have a system that supports you regardless of your priorities.

The key difference is transparency: radiologists can see their exact rates and track their earnings in real time. You can read more about vRad’s comp model in the blog: How Much Does a vRad Radiologist Make?

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