Radiology Extenders Outperform Radiology Residents with Chest X-ray Interpretations

Radiology extenders who read chest X-rays save attending radiologists more time during the day than radiology residents do, potentially streamlining workflow and alleviating provider burnout. At least that has been the experience for researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Radiologists in their department read more cases per hour when the drafts came from radiology extenders than from residents, resulting in nearly an hour – 51 minutes – of provider time saved each day. The authors shared their experience on Oct. 13 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. "Interpreting these radiographs entails a disproportionate amount of work (eg., retrieving patient history, completing standard dictation templates, and ensuring proper communication of important findings before finalization of reports). Given low reimbursement rates for these studies, economic necessities push radiologists to provide faster interpretations, contributing to burnout," said the team led by Arijitt Borthakur, MBA, Ph.D., senior research investigator in the Perelman School of Medicine radiology department.