Radiology practice brings aboard 33 new radiologists in 2026. What’s its secret sauce?

A Twin Cities private practice has brought aboard 33 new radiologists so far in 2026, bucking hiring challenges that have plagued provider groups since the pandemic. 

Midwest Radiology Director of Recruiting Laurent Grignon, MD, recently spoke with Radiology Business about the successes, divulging some of his strategies. The Roseville, Minnesota, radiology group now boasts over 200 physicians on its roster, with full subspecialization in neuro, body imaging and MSK 24/7. 

Grignon cited success factors including rapid physician-handled responses to every resume, extensive use of independent job boards, and strong word-of-mouth from their low-turnover staff.

“As a recruiter, we still run like a mom-and-pop shop, so to speak,” he said in an interview. “I review every CV that comes through our practice, and if we have a need for that person, I strive to respond in less than 24 hours and one hour, where possible. I’m basically on my cellphone 24/7.” 

The 33 physicians brought in through May represent more than double the 15 onboarded at Midwest Radiology in all of 2025. This year’s additions include a mix of both on-site and remote readers, working day and night shifts. The practice offers unique remote-partnership track opportunities, allowing teleradiologists to become full partners, just the same as those situated in Minnesota. Remote, after-hours track positions typically cover shifts at either 1 to 10 p.m., 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., or 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. 

“The only difference is that you don't have a voting right until five years into the practice, but financially it's all the same. That's what most people care about,” Grignon, who also is a neuroradiologist, told Radiology Business. “The reason we do five years is that we don't want to lose control of the practice to remote radiologists and have it be sold from underneath us. That five-year mark is kind of a litmus test: Are you dedicated to the group, and do you want to be part of Midwest Radiology?”

Grignon also touted the importance of offering remote radiologist positions during the daytime hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Midwest has approximately 90 body radiologists on staff but is still short on this subspecialty, which is highly coveted across the profession. Grignon said he has spoken on the phone with over 200 radiologists and often sees two types of candidates. One is “burned out in academics and needs a change.” The other is stuck in a “death spiral” at a smaller practice with between 20 to 40 rads, that’s consistently 10% understaffed. Often these individuals don’t have enough vacation days, they’re working 18 weekends a year, and if one rad leaves, things will fall apart. 

“Their whole practice is going to collapse, and they can't hire for the life of them because all the people coming in know they're desperate,” he said. 

Midwest Radiology offers these remote, daytime roles to interested candidates, especially in hard-to-hire body imaging. However, it does not provide these daytime remote readers with shareholder opportunities, hoping to protect positions that still must work in-person. Midwest also shies away from pay-per-click, 1099 positions, which are popular in the industry, as it aims to avoid creating a culture that's all about “quantity and money.” 

“We don't want to make the job so attractive to our on-site shareholders that are daytime that we would lose all of our on-site coverage,” Grignon said. “The whole point is we want to provide a high quality product to our patients and our hospitals,” he added. 

Currently, the only 1099 positions Midwest employs are radiologists at the end of their careers who just want to work part-time as locums. Often, they’re in their 70s and are “not ready to hang it up.”

“They’ve already been in our practice 20 years, so they’re not an unknown commodity,” he said. “But, when I interview people and hear them say, ‘Hey, I want 1099 work, how much per RVU do you cover?’ I just cut the conversation short. I tell them, ‘There are plenty of groups that will hire you, no problem.’”

Midwest currently has about 10 fully remote daytime body radiologists, who are all of the same cloth, with most having lots of experience. The practice has hired some out of training but looks to provide mentors in these situations, if there are any changes needed in terms of course correction, quality or speed. With 200 radiologists on staff, Midwest is able to provide academic level care, in a private practice setting, also a key selling point for university medical center clients seeking help. 

While some teleradiology firms provide turnaround times of 3 to 4 hours, Grignon estimates Midwest can handle a stat exam in “under 20 minutes.” For inpatients, exams typically take about an hour, and most outpatient scans are handled in less than 24 hours. While some of these pay-per-click firms are running five days behind, Midwest tries to keep itself out of this position. 

“That's not us, but we're also better staffed, and we don't just take new clients for the heck of it,” he said. “We won't sign a contract unless we feel like we can actually honor what we say. Because, if we overstaff or overpromise and underdeliver, that's not good for our product and brand recognition. Same thing with the people who we hire. If you bring aboard a bunch of people who are just looking for pay-per-click opportunities, that's going to really hurt our culture.”

Grignon also highlighted the importance of flying in new hires and their spouses, too, even if it’s for a remote role. Often, winning over the wife or husband is just as crucial, because, “If they’re not on board with this job change, then it’s just not going to happen.” 

“A lot of these people are just burned out and they don't have any work-life balance and they're experiencing instability, uncertainty with their practice,” he said. “And so, I tell them, ‘You're part of the team, you're part of Midwest, you're part of the culture.’”

The practice recently hired a female remote radiologist and had her participate in its remote women’s brunch the week after. She received a recruiting box by mail with Midwest Radiology swag and a DoorDash gift card, allowing the new hire to log into video chat, eat with colleagues in other geographies and mingle. 

“A lot of them found it very supportive because they're all young females in the practice at various stages of having kids and needing that work-life balance and extra support,” he said. 

Midwest Radiology also recently revamped its paternity leave policy to be more favorable to all members of its staff. This coincided with legislation in Minnesota, requiring employers to strengthen paid leave. In addition, Grignon highlighted success holding no-strings-attached meet-and-greet dinners to attract the attention of trainees in Midwest residency programs. This included a max-capacity dinner at Chicago’s Girl and the Goat for Northwestern Medicine candidates, with similar ones for Loyola and Rush trainees. The practice seeks to target the Midwest geography, knowing these individuals might already have openness to the cold weather seen in Minnesota. 

Six radiologists typically come along, and the room is divided into groups to tell them more about Midwest Radiology and allow them to ask questions. This includes a mix of first- through fourth-year residents, all at various stages of training and life. Half are probably just there for the free meal with no intention of joining Midwest Radiology. 

“But if we hire one or two people from those dinners, it pays for 10 more,” Grignon said. 

Midwest Radiology also tries to offer options both for those who want to have work-life balance or pursue monetary gains. Radiologists take on internal locums or moonlighting opportunities to pad their paycheck, if so desired. If Midwest’s neuro list is over 200 at the end of the day, it can have locums take on as many studies as they want—as long as the list allows. 

“That's how we keep people who want to make more money happy, and it’s how we keep our turnaround times really tight,” he said. “Our tagline when we recruit is, ‘We keep the physicians happy, No. 1, and No. 2, we keep the hospitals happy. That's our secret sauce.” 

Midwest Radiology is still currently hiring for both remote and on-site positions spanning body imaging, neuroradiology and mammography. It’s offering a salary range of between $650,000 to $1 million with “minimal buy-in,” credit toward shareholder status for experienced rads, 17 weeks of vacation, and a comprehensive benefits package, according to a job post.

Grignon said the practice’s primary need is in body imaging, though he hopes to be fully staffed in the subspecialty this year. The practice is in active discussions with four to five additional clients, with growth constrained primarily by the availability of rads, rather than demands. It’s planning another 10 to 12 residency visits in the coming months while remaining cautious not to overpromise on service capacity.

He believes the organization’s independence also is a selling point in a market that’s flooded with investor-backed competitors. 

“At the end of the day, people want to practice in a place that's not going to sell out to private equity,” he charged. “They want to be part of a team, and the worst thing you can do from a recruitment perspective is take in CVs and not respond to them. Because if you don't respond within 24 hours—especially if you're already 20 people understaffed—that already tells a candidate everything they need to know about that group. If they're that disorganized and can't seem to realize they have to get back to a candidate very quickly, then they don't get it. Their days are numbered.”