Private equity-backed groups more likely to offer radiologists remote roles
One of the benefits of pursuing radiology as a medical specialty is the ability to work remotely, but a new report suggests many employers do not offer this option.
A new analysis from RadBoard—a platform designed to streamline job seeking for radiology professionals—is shining a light on teleradiology trends based on more than 4,000 job posts targeting radiologists. The data suggest that although remote radiology roles are increasing in number, not all employers are keen on offering work-from-home options.
About one 1 of every 4 open radiologist roles offers fully remote options, the report indicates. However, the availability of these options is highly dependent on the employer type—hospital system, private equity-backed, independently operated, academic, etc. Providers looking for the flexibility of remote work are much more likely to achieve this in investor-sponsored radiology groups, as these entities account for nearly half of the jobs offering fully remote work.
“Private equity radiology groups have effectively built distributed workforce models—nearly half their open positions require no physical presence,” the report notes. “Hospital systems remain predominantly on-site. This divergence reflects fundamentally different operating models, not just scheduling preferences.”
Over 25% of the listings signaled an openness to fully remote work. Of those, 49% were posted by private equity-backed groups. Independent practices were next in line, at 31%, followed by jobs posted by recruiters (30%) and academic institutions (14%). Meanwhile, hospital systems’ posts heavily favored on-site work, with just 13% including remote offerings.
At the same time, hospital systems account for the most open radiologist roles, with 1,138 listings, while independent practices currently have around 1050. Private equity groups are next in line, with 870. Combined, roles in independent practices and PE groups make up 45% of all open radiologist positions. Authors of the report suggest this signals a significant shift from traditional operating models.
“Private-sector radiology is now the dominant hiring force,” the report notes.
Another notable finding from the report pertains to the use of artificial intelligence. Despite radiology being the primary target of most FDA-cleared AI applications, the majority of job descriptions make no mention of AI or picture archiving and communication systems. Private equity-backed groups, however, appear to be more likely to embrace the technology. Nearly 30% of all PE posts mention the use of AI or reference specific PACS systems.
The full report can be viewed here.
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.