Radiology is going down -- for naive individuals such as Apache Indian the so called "money machine" who will be asking himself why he didn't think of another specialty in a few years. There are several several commercials on TV on a daily basis, advertising outsourcing from other countries, for significantly less money, than is charged in the US.
You don't wanted to be stuck respecializing, because you cannot get your career on track. Radiologists will see significantly less income within the next few years.
You will have significant difficulties finding a job in Radiology anywhere in the US.
Outsourcing is already a big hit in several institutions, just that it has not taken off yet.
he Need for Outsourcing Radiology
By Ashutosh Shelat
Today there is growing demand for the limited supply of radiologists in the US, the UK, and other developed nations. Due to these demands and the rising use of technology, radiology is being outsourced to several developing nations such as India and China. This is a response to two concurrent major predicaments: the need for early diagnosis of diseases through radiology, and a bottleneck in providing medical care due to delays in performing radiological procedures [1].
According to radiologist Dr. Piyush Vyas [2],
the reduced workload on the US has led to decreasing job security and less demand for radiologists. However,
abroad, increased demand for services provides developing nations with more information and new opportunities for growth in the medical field. Outsourcing as a whole will help develop the economies of these nations, Vyas says, while encouraging growth of infrastructure and promoting peaceful relations with other nations that consume their goods and services, such as the US.
Radiology is a discipline of medical science that uses electromagnetic radiation and ultrasonics for the diagnosis and treatment of injury or disease. Ionizing radiation consisting of alpha, beta, gamma, or x-rays is the principal source of evaluation based on radiology. In essence, the radiation ray passes through the part of body being examined and then produces a static image on a film. Also, dynamic images as taken by fluoroscopy or cineradiography help record movement in internal organs or in blood vessels [3]. Indeed, many new uses for radiology are expanding the medical fields.
Evidence seems to show that outsourcing radiology is a needed solution to our problem in America.
The benefits of outsourcing are easily viewed in surrounding and developing countries. Specifically, when we talk about radiology in these distant nations we must understand that only teleradiology, or radiology data that can be transmitted using radiographic images and consultant text from one location to another, can be discussed. However, since most radiology can be modified to fit this format we worry less about the technical terms and more about the consequences of this radiology.
When radiology is transmitted to other countries, it has very many positive and productive effects. One benefit, concerning the outsourcing of anything from one industrially developed country to another less developed nation is the cost reduction factor.
With decreased costs in nations such as India and China, the Western consumer gets a "better bang for the buck," and ultimately will, in fact, return the demand and supply shortage back to equilibrium with increased quantity supplied and decreased costs. Outsourcing also helps increase productivity, create jobs, and fund improved living conditions, over the long-term in such growing nations. One example concerns the improved aspects of Indian healthcare due outsourcing radiology work to India. These include weekend and nighttime coverage for all patients, enhanced patient outcomes, and workflow. The Indian Clinical Lab focusing on teleradiology also is able to more deeply address those cases which require intensive team interaction [4]. As is evident, there are several obvious motivations for outsourcing radiology for the welfare of the general public.
However, a more important reason to outsource concerns those individuals who are unable to pay high medical bills, or who are suffering poorer radiological care because of the bottleneck in providing services to patients. For example, consider the UK, where there is a shortage of approximately 5000 radiologists. Because of this shortage, there is an average waiting period of approximately two months for radiology diagnostics. Also because of this shortage, medical practitioners are dealing with the current shortage by still employing equipment of which 30% is out-of-date [4].
Outsourced radiology is a needed tool in the technological revolution of this age to keep pace with the ever-increasing number of patients and outpatients. It also contributes to a variety of developments in other countries and helps take pressure off the doctors in countries like the US and UK. With an increasing use of teleradiology and other multinational health fronts, hopefully the general health and health awareness of the public will dramatically increase.
Sources
- Scan delays 'put patients at risk'. BBC News, World Edition [online]. August 8, 2002. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2178277.stm. Accessed December 5, 2004.
- Vyas, Piyush. Radiologist. Personal Communication. November 2004.
- Radiological Society of North America, 2004, Oakbrook, IL. Available at: www.RSNA.org. Accessed November 2004.
- Outsourcing Radiology. Outsource2India. Available at: http://www.outsource2india.com/services/radiology.asp. Accessed November 2004.
- Folland, Goodman, and Stano. The Economics of Health and Health Care. 3 rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 2001.
Copyright © 2002-2006 JPHAS at the University of Illinois at Chicago. All rights reserved.
good luck you are going to need it in the future trust me.
*grabs some popcorn and waits for Apache to get back* 
