Radiology staffing shortage forcing patients to wait 3 months for some imaging results
The radiology staffing shortage is forcing patients to face months-long delays for certain imaging exam results.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, resident Ashely McKinney gave birth about a year ago but has grappled with physical pain following the delivery. She underwent an ultrasound to assess her fibroids but was told it could take over 80 days to receive the results.
“It's been a little nerve-racking just not knowing what's going on with my body and still having to pay these copays up front,” she told WWMT-TV News channel 3 in a report that aired Sept. 9.
The station interviewed the Michigan Hospital Association’s Laura Appel, who noted that demand for imaging continues to increase while the number of available workers drops. Hospitals continue to seek solutions, she said, and will prioritize imaging exams stemming from emergencies.
Patient Tabatha Nash believes lawmakers should consider easing reading requirements so that other providers can interpret images. She recently underwent a mammogram, with it taking three months to receive the results.
"They need to broaden who can read them, at least for temporary time," Nash told the outlet. "I know that in some states when we had COVID and we had insurance problems, they were letting nonlicensed people look them over."
You can read the rest of the report here:
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.