Your radiology subsidy increased again. What should you expect in return?
In today’s radiology market, increased hospital financial support may be necessary.
Radiologist compensation has increased. Recruitment remains difficult. Coverage expectations haven’t disappeared. And many traditional professional revenue models may no longer fully support the level of service hospitals require.
So the question isn’t simply:
“Why are we paying more?”
A better question may be:
“What should this investment enable the radiology service line to deliver?”
Hospital financial support should be connected to clearly defined expectations around:
• Coverage — What onsite, procedural, subspecialty and after-hours coverage is being supported?
• Staffing — What physician resources are required to deliver that coverage sustainably?
• Performance — What turnaround times, service levels and operational expectations should be achieved?
• Physician engagement — What level of accessibility, communication and participation is expected from the radiology group?
• Patient access — Is the model supporting timely access to the services patients and referring physicians need?
• Accountability — How will both parties know whether the model is delivering what was intended?
Financial support isn’t inherently evidence that a radiology model is failing.
But increasing financial support without clearly defined expectations creates a different problem: neither party has an objective way to determine whether the investment is working.
The goal should be more than negotiating a subsidy.
It should be aligning the economics with the services, performance and accountability the organization expects in return.
What measures do you believe should be part of that conversation?
Written by Andrew Mazzella — Radiology Business & Operations Consultant
Andrew Mazzella is a healthcare administrator and radiology consultant with more than 25 years of experience in practice management, healthcare operations, financial management, strategic growth, and process improvement.
Since 2003, Andrew has held leadership roles in radiology management. He serves as CEO of Radiologic Associates, P.C., a private radiology group supporting hospital systems, outpatient imaging centers, and medical practices across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Since 2016, he has also served as a Radiology Consultant with Enhance Healthcare Consulting, advising healthcare organizations on radiology operations, financial performance, practice management, and strategic growth.
Andrew is an active member of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA).
[Read Andrew Mazzella’s Full Bio] | [Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn]
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