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Business of Radiology 101: The State of Radiology Business Practice & Healthcare Policy Curricula at US Radiology Residency ProgramsTang J, Dicks DL, Kohr JR, Stratil PG, Cinelli CM, Monroe EJ, Medverd JR

The University of Washington Department of Radiology, Seattle, Washington.

Methods

Results Continued Results Continued

Educational ModalitiesModalities used most often included didactic lectures (96%), journal clubs (42%), small group activities (21%), discussion panels (10%), and online materials (<10%).

Results

Discussion

References

Program directors and residents value radiology business practice and healthcare policy education, but our data on perceived effectiveness of individual program educational efforts suggest that current curricula, while providing some value, are suboptimal when not absent. Barriers to excellence in the delivery of these curricula include a current lack of consensus on curriculum, evolving best practices for curricula delivery, and absence of established outcomes measurement methodologies. Identification of time to address non-interpretive curricular goals within the competing constraints of modern radiology residency programs is also a significant challenge.

APDR survey responses suggest that many curricula in use at radiology residency programs today do not provide a thorough overview of topics germane to radiology business practice and healthcare policy. Topics of medicolegal, quality, medical & business ethics, radiology informatics, contracts & negotiation, medical billing & reimbursement, and evidence-based radiology were widely addressed (>50% responding programs reporting inclusion). However, instruction in the soft skills of leadership & communication, health care policy, practice governance & organizational models, and strategic planning, as well as the hard skills of accounting principles, performance metrics and personal finance may currently be underemphasized (<50% responding programs reporting inclusion). Our survey instruments, designed for brevity, unfortunately do not provide insight into the underlying cause. Future curricular efforts, if envisioned to be comprehensive, must provide exposure to the above identified underrepresented, yet equally important, topics.

Residency training requirements in competencies related to radiology business practice and healthcare policy have been in place for over a decade. These survey data provide insight into the level of adoption and content of curricular efforts currently in place within US radiology residency programs, and suggest that there is room for improvement. Further commitment to and innovation within these curricula are needed.

1. Otero HJ, Weissman BN, Rybicki FJ. System-based practice: proposal for a comprehensive curriculum. Acad Radiol 2008; 15:119-126.

2. Chan S. Management Education During Radiology Residency: Development of an Educational Practice. Acad Radiol 2004; 11:1308-1317.

3. Collins J, Rosado de Christenson M, et al. General Competencies in Radiology Residency Training: Definitions, Skills, Education and Assessment. Acad Radiol 2002; 9:721-726.

4. Morowitz SA. Development and Assessment of a Radiology Core Curriculum in Health Care Policy and Practice. Acad Radiol 2000; 7:540-550.

OPTIONALLOGO HERE

Three surveys were distributed. An online survey was sent to the membership of the APDR by email in June 2010. A similar paper survey was distributed to ACR Resident & Fellow Section (RFS) representatives attending the ACR Annual Meeting & Chapter Leadership Conference (AMCLC) May 2010 (“RFS Delegates”). An abbreviated online survey was sent to the entire ACR RFS membership by email in December 2009 with a second request in April 2010 (“RFS Members”). These questions were included as subsection of a larger survey exploring quality issues in residency training performed as a function of an ACR Quality Fellowship experience by two of our authors (CMC, JRK). Email surveys were anonymous and collected over several weeks. However, the majority of responses were logged close to the date of invitation. Paper surveys were anonymously collected on the same day as distributed.

Background

To assess the prevalence, content and perceived effectiveness of curricula focused on radiology business practice and healthcare policy at US radiology residencies.

Purpose

The United States (US) has been experiencing a period of rapid changes in healthcare delivery and financing. It has been asserted that the future career success, as well as job satisfaction, of today’s radiology resident hinges as much upon developing excellence in the performance and interpretation of radiological examinations as acquiring awareness of the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call upon system resources to provide care of optimal value [1]. Despite the importance of these non-interpretive skills, radiologists have generally not been trained in basic business principles and regulatory trends while in residency.

Several individual residency curriculum proposals have been published over the past decade which include suggestions for a thorough curriculum in business and policy principles [1-4]. Furthermore, organizations such as the Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and the American College of Radiology (ACR) have supported initiatives to assist programs with these educational requirements. Despite these steps, effectively incorporating the wide array of topics included in non-interpretive curricula into a residency can be difficult and it is unclear to what extent all US residency programs have addressed these requirements or what methods are being used.

Non-interpretive Curriculum TopicsTopics most often reported as included in non-interpretive curricula are summarized below. Additional topics reported under the heading “Other” included physician fatigue, physician impairment, disclosure policies & practice, publication & article review, statistical and critical literature review, patient safety ethics, and military related discussions. Topics receiving at least 50% prevalence within any survey are highlighted in yellow.

Perceived Importance of Non-interpretive CurriculumResponses to the questions “do you feel developing an understanding and element of command of radiology business topics [and] healthcare policy topics and their impact on radiology practices will be important to resident future careers?” indicate program director and resident groups agree that a non-interpretive curriculum is important to the future careers of residents.

APDR RFS Delegates

Prevalence of Non-interpretive CurriculumProgram director (APDR) responses to the question “does your residency have a curriculum addressing non – interpretive topics? “ suggest that 91% of US radiology residencies include elements of these curricula at their programs.

Time Allocation for Non-interpretive CurriculumResults from APDR survey respondents. Only 25% of residency programs allot >12 hours and 44% of programs spend 8 hours or less per academic year on curricula.

Perceived Efficacy of Non-interpretive Curriculum APDR and both RFS groups were asked to rate the effectiveness of non-interpretive curricula in use at their institutions. Respondents most often rated curricula as “moderately” effective (45%, 58% respectively), followed by “marginally” or “minimally” effective (31%, 25%). Both groups infrequently rated their curricula as “very” effective (12%, 6%).

APDR RFS

Topic APDR RFS Del RFS Member

Medical - legal issues 74% 56% 57%

Quality 71% 64% 56%

Medical and business ethics 67% 39% 52%

Radiology Informatics 67% 44% 42%

Contracts, negotiation 60% 44% 40%

Medical billing and reimbursement 57% 53% 47%

Evidence - based radiology 52% 39% 56%

Leadership, communication skills 50% 28% 31%

Health care policy 47% 53% 54%

Personal finance 31% 33% 41%

Performance metrics 24% 25% 17%

Practice governance, organizational models 19% 14% 23%

Accounting principles/financial statements 16% 22% 18%

Strategic planning 12% 11% 16%

Other topic(s) (please specify) 7% 0% 0%