VA hospital's radiology department struggles amid staffing shortages and extreme heat

Staffing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., are causing significant disruptions in imaging services, according to a new report. 

The American Prospect details a slew of issues the organization is coping with, including a lack of qualified radiologists and radiologic technologists, all of which have negatively affected imaging workflows. The report suggests that the hospital's aging heating and cooling system has struggled during recent heat waves, allowing temperatures inside the facility to rise high enough that both the organization’s staff and equipment have been unable to keep up. Sources told the publication that MRI scanners have periodically gone offline because the AC could not adequately maintain the temperatures scanners need to operate safely. Similar issues have been seen in the United Kingdom, where hundreds of MRI exams have been canceled due to an ongoing heatwave that has sidelined scanners. 

Heat isn’t the only thing affected the organization’s radiology department though; although the medical center’s radiology department has been short staffed for years, the report indicates that return-to-office mandates enacted in 2025 have further complicated matters. Former radiologists told the publication the policy prompted some physicians to leave the agency, exacerbating existing staffing shortages. One former radiologist said the move eliminated the remote work flexibility that had helped offset lower VA salaries and increasing workloads. 

While the VA later walked back return-to-office requirements for radiologists specifically, it may have been too little too late, as numerous physicians had already parted ways with the organization. Inevitably, this has led to longer turnaround times and decreased access to specialized imaging exams, such as PET scans used to identify the presence of amyloid plaques. 

“When you reverse a misguided policy after people have already left, the horse is already out of the barn,” one former VA official told the news outlet. 

The VA’s new press secretary, Quinn Slaven, has maintained that the HVAC issues were addressed quickly while also refuting claims regarding staffing challenges to the Prospect. Slaven said that after two radiologists are onboarded in August (bringing the hospital’s total to seven), the department’s staffing will then be “well above historical levels.” 

The Prospect put together a thorough, detailed report of the ongoing issues within the organization, which can be viewed here.