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RAs increase productivity.

Article Excerpt
As the number of radiologists in practice and the number of residents entering the radiology field dwindle, the need for physician extenders in radiology becomes more evident. The concept of advanced-level radiologic technologists is not new; educational programs were first developed in the 1970s. However, there was little support for those programs because the need to introduce a nonphysician clinician into the radiology environment could not be demonstrated clearly or justified at the time. (1) The radiologist practitioner assistant (RPA) program at Weber State University in the mid-1990s produced the next wave of radiology physician extenders. (2)

In March 2004, an Advanced Practice Advisory Panel consisting of representatives from the American College of Radiology (ACR), American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), state regulatory agencies, radiologic science education programs, medical imaging manufacturers and RPAs met in Washington, District of Columbia, to explore key issues surrounding the development of the radiologist assistant (RA) career track. This advanced-level career pathway was developed to provide career development options for technologists and to bridge the potential patient care gap caused by the deficit of radiologists.

The registered radiologist assistant (R.R.A.) role was developed to meet these needs. R.R.A.s are ARRT-certified radiologic technologists with a minimum of a baccalaureate degree who have completed an advanced academic program with a nationally recognized RA curriculum and a radiologist-directed clinical preceptorship. With radiologist supervision, R.R.A.s extend the capacity of radiologists in the diagnostic imaging environment by performing patient assessment, patient management, fluoroscopy and other radiology procedures.

Specifically, the ACR supports the development of the R.R.A. role, stating that "ACR officials believe the development of the radiologist assistant position will relieve some of the time pressures experienced by radiologists due to ongoing workforce shortages, thereby permitting them to devote available resources to more productive patient care tasks." (3) R.R.A.s also make initial observations regarding diagnostic images, but do not provide an official interpretation (final written report) as defined by the ACR Standard for Communication: Diagnostic Radiology. (1)

A review of literature revealed limited quantitative evidence of the benefit of R.R.A.s to radiologists because the career identification is still in its infancy. Although radiologists continue to be solely responsible for interpreting exams, R.R.A.s perform certain procedures and patient care tasks as physician extenders that could improve overall productivity and cost savings in radiology departments.

This case study, or profile of clinical productivity, was designed to assess the value of R.R.A.s in improving radiology department productivity by freeing radiologists' time and increasing reimbursement revenue. Also, this study demonstrates an opportunity to improve quality of patient care and identifies some of the R.R.A.s' most frequent roles and responsibilities in the health care setting. Under faculty direction, RA students from Midwestern State University conducted this nonexperimental descriptive study to document their patient management, time savings and potential reimbursement revenue impact.

Review of the Literature

Radiologist Shortage

In the early 21st century, most experts predicted that there would be a shortage of radiologists and radiologic technologists, especially in rural areas. The reasons were multifaceted and included the following: The...

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