Imaging workforce delays rise

Imaging report delays are rising across United States radiology services as scan volumes grow faster than the workforce reading them. (beckershospitalreview.com) A Journal of the American College of Radiology study published March 30, 2026, analyzed 2,578,953 Medicare fee-for-service imaging studies from 2014 through 2023. It found average interpretation turnaround time rose 113%, from 0.091 days, about 2.2 hours, to 0.193 days, about 4.6 hours. (jacr.org) The increase was steepest for advanced scans that usually take longer to read. Computed tomography turnaround time rose 318% and magnetic resonance imaging rose 256%, versus 140% for ultrasound and 63% for radiography or fluoroscopy. (jacr.org) Turnaround time is the clock between when an imaging exam is done and when the final report is ready for the clinician. The Association for Medical Imaging Management said in July 2025 that hospitals often measure different parts of that clock, from order-to-exam start to exam completion-to-final report, which can hide where delays actually occur. (ahra.org) The staffing side of that clock has been tightening for several years. The American College of Radiology said in February 2026 that a December 2025 federal workforce report projected a national shortage of 141,160 full-time physicians in 2028, and estimated radiology at 90% adequacy relative to demand in 2038. (acr.org) The same American College of Radiology update said post-pandemic attrition remains elevated while imaging demand keeps climbing. Its Neiman Health Policy Institute projections show the radiologist workforce could be 20.9% larger in 2055 than today if residency slots do not change, while imaging demand is projected to rise 17% for magnetic resonance imaging and 25% for computed tomography. (acr.org) Recent local reporting shows how those national pressures land inside hospital systems. Health Imaging reported in April 2025 that one Hawaii organization told staff more than 8,000 images were pending review as the state’s radiologist shortage persisted. (healthimaging.com) Radiology groups have argued the problem is not only headcount but workload per study. The American College of Radiology said in July 2024 that image volume and image complexity have both increased, and that patients are already encountering delays in diagnostic information. (acr.org) Some of the proposed fixes are longer-term. Becker’s Hospital Review reported in December 2024 that imaging studies were rising by as much as 5% a year while radiology residency positions were growing about 2%, and that the radiologic technologist vacancy rate had reached 18.1%. (beckershospitalreview.com) The March 2026 study’s authors said the recent jump suggests radiology may be hitting capacity limits, especially after the sharpest increases arrived in the last two years of the data. For patients and clinicians, that means the wait for the scan result is becoming a bigger part of the care timeline. (jacr.org)