On-site radiologist coverage linked to faster emergency CT reporting
CT interpretations in the emergency department have significantly longer turnaround times when reads are completed off-site.
According to a new retrospective study examining after-hours imaging across a hospital system, the lack of an on-site radiologist could increase TATs by up to 34%. Experts involved in the analysis say their findings suggest that physical radiologist availability may play an important role in the timeliness of emergency CT interpretations, particularly for more complex exams, which could have implications for staffing models.
“Emergency CT reporting must balance continuous specialist access with timely interpretation, communication, and downstream decision-making,” Patryk Konieczka, with the department of emergency medicine at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland, and colleagues noted. “Teleradiology extends coverage across geography and time, and European guidance recommends integrating it into radiology services through explicit standards for quality, coverage, examination complexity, and turnaround rather than treating it as a commodity.”
The retrospective study included 13,533 emergency CT exams performed between July 2025 and June 2026. Researchers compared scan-to-complete-report turnaround times during periods with and without on-site CT radiologist coverage. The analysis focused on comparable after-hours periods, including nonholiday weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. and weekends and public holidays.
For the exams, the team calculated a median reporting time of 81 minutes when no radiologist was on-site, compared with 58 minutes during periods with on-site coverage. After adjusting for patient, temporal, workload and exam characteristics, the absence of an on-site radiologist was associated with a 34% longer turnaround time.
These differences varied by exam type. The association was smaller for routine noncontrast head CTs, with 28% longer adjusted turnaround times without on-site coverage; for abdominopelvic CT, the difference was more pronounced at nearly 46%. Researchers found a statistically significant interaction between exam type and staffing availability.
An assessment focused on periods within two hours of staffing changes estimated 46% longer turnaround times without on-site radiologists. When researchers examined the actual reporting route rather than roster-recorded availability, turnaround times were 48% longer without on-site reporting.
The authors acknowledged that their study was observational and therefore does not establish that on-site coverage directly caused shorter reporting times. They also noted that their findings “concern workflow, not diagnostic competence.”
“This finding concerns service configuration and workflow; it does not establish the causal effect, safety, or diagnostic quality of teleradiology,” the authors concluded.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.