Themes to watch at the Radiology Business Management Association’s 2026 annual meeting

The Radiology Business Management Association’s 2026 annual meeting kicks off in less than a month. Workforce shortages, AI implementation and hospital negotiations rank high among the key topics on tap for live—and lively—discussion. 

The ninth annual “PaRADigm” runs April 12 to 15 in Championsgate, Florida, at the Omni Orlando Resort. 

Kaihan Krippendorf, a Miami-based author, business strategist and investor, will give the opening keynote. Bookending his talk will be a radiology-specific panel dialogue on the final day. 

Radiology Business spoke March 18 with the association’s co-executive directors, Linda Wilgus and Jessica Struve, seeking an event preview. Wilgus previously served as executive director of Indianapolis-based Northwest Radiology for nearly 30 years, while Struve has served in various capacities for the RBMA since 2012. Both became co-executive director in 2024, replacing the retiring Bob Still.

Radiology Business: For our readers who are unfamiliar with PaRADigm, tell us a little about your target attendees. 

Struve: The audience is mainly our membership, which consists of staff within a radiology practice from C-suite level positions to radiology marketers, business developers and coders. We have the full scope within a radiology practice, and then we have business partners who provide solutions and have membership as well as sponsorship with us.

Wilgus: We survey our members, usually in late summer, and we use that information to plan future programming. Many of our members guide what we deliver in our educational sessions. 

Why did you pick Kaihan Kripendorf tokick things off? 

Wilgus: He’s in demand with Fortune 500 companies. We’re very fortunate to have him. He speaks about disruption. Yesterday doesn't look like today in our industry, and tomorrow’s not going to look like today either. We’re in a business environment that is disrupted daily, and it’s hard to keep the noise out.

And then you’re having Elizabeth Rula, PhD, head of the ACR’s Neiman Health Policy Institute, for the second year in a row. 

Struve: That’s right. She spoke on our last day last year, and a lot of people left to catch their flights and didn't get to see her presentation. It was so highly rated, we decided to bring her back. She’ll do a deeper dive into radiology economics data and how to prepare for trends changing the profession. It will be more of a solution-focused session this year, moving beyond the data she discussed in 2025.  

Wilgus: Elizabeth is an expert economist in radiology. She’s able to project workforce demands for the specialty beyond 2050 using sources such as census data. She’ll discuss how Baby Boomers will increasingly consume more healthcare over the coming years. Dr. Rula brings these data sources together and asks radiology groups: “How are we going to meet this growing need?” 

Then Linda, you’ll be hosting a town hall on day 3 about state legislative issues?

Wilgus: Yes. RBMA is putting more resources and time into state legislative issues. We’re going to have the table set up so that attendees will sit among people in their chapters. This will let them discuss what’s going on in their state governments and how it’s impacting their practices. 

We also have a panel of folks who regularly deal in state healthcare legislative issues from a practice perspective. There will be a state legislator there. We’re going to have a practice manager there. We’re going to have an attorney. There’s so much dysfunction in the federal government right now that it’s hard to get any healthcare legislation passed. We think that, in 2026, we’re going to see a lot more coming out of state houses. We’ll discuss that and seek to educate our members how they can get engaged.

How many RBMA state chapters are there? 

Struve: There’s not one for every state, but we have a bunch of chapters that are multi-state. There are 19 official chapters, but we cover 37 states. 

And then the final session is a panel of experts talking about the state of radiology? 

Wilgus: This will be more of, a free exchange of questions, ideas and issues. 

Struve: Just focused on all of the pressures that radiology is under right now and what they think is next. A look into what we’re struggling with lately and what’s on the horizon. 

Wilgus: Dr. [Kurt] Shoppe is one of my favorite physicians to hear speak. He does not sugarcoat anything. He tells it like it is. Kurt is the president of a very large group [Radiology Associates of North Texas], so he has a lot of pressure on him. Whenever he’s part of a panel, it’s going to be a good one.