Not all problems have a technological answer, but when they do, that is the more lasting solution. The problem, as anyone who has used an EHR or any other enterprise software, is that the problem being solved e. But the problems compound when we then forget the parts that got us there in the first place in our desire for improvement. Sometimes inefficiency is a critical piece of the puzzle like we say with Covid supply chain issues.
Other times, we are unaware of the lessons from the past and miss the negative externalities of our panicked interventions. True and true. Since I started writing about private equity in radiology back in and more recently since featuring private practice jobs on the site followed by launching Independent Radiology , I often get questions that read something like this:.
I believe that private practice is important. It provides an anchor for how doctors are paid and establishes standards for how a specialty chooses to practice. When employed positions are good, that is largely a direct result of the need to compete with private practice in a tight labor market. However, it does not necessarily follow that all or even most practices are run well.
Increasing imaging volumes and increasing consolidation combined with increasing regulatory burdens and have resulted in overall fewer and overall larger groups.
That increases the stakes and increases the complexity. The growing pains are real. I do think the current shortage, shifting lifestyle demands, and the probably temporary sweetheart deals for mammo ultimately have destabilized radiology practice in general, not limited to but certainly including small democratic practices where radiologists wanted to be treated the same historically.
