Department of Radiology, Henry Ford Health System, 2799 W Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202, United States of America.
Clin Imaging. 2021 May;73:38-42. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2020.11.046. Epub 2020 Dec 5.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, efforts by radiology departments to protect patients and healthcare workers and mitigate disease spread have reduced imaging volumes. This study aims to quantify the pandemic's impact on physician productivity across radiology practice areas as measured by physician work Relative Value Units (wRVUs).
All signed diagnostic and procedural radiology reports were curated from January 1st to July 1st of 2019 and 2020. Physician work RVUs were assigned to each study type based on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Utilizing divisional assignments, radiologist schedules were mapped to each report to generate a sum of wRVUs credited to that division for each week. Differential impact on divisions were calculated relative to a matched timeframe in 2019 and a same length pre-pandemic time period in 2020.
All practice areas saw a substantial decrease in wRVUs from the 2020 pre- to intra-pandemic time period with a mean decrease of 51.5% (range 15.4%-76.9%). The largest declines were in Breast imaging, Musculoskeletal, and Neuroradiology, which had decreases of 76.9%, 75.3%, and 67.5%, respectively. The modalities with the greatest percentage decrease were mammography, MRI, and non-PET nuclear medicine.
All radiology practice areas and modalities experienced a substantial decrease in wRVUs. The greatest decline was in Breast imaging, Neuroradiology, and Musculoskeletal radiology. Understanding the differential impact of the pandemic on practice areas will help radiology departments prepare for the potential depth and duration of the pandemic by better understanding staffing needs and the financial effects.
随着 COVID-19 大流行的持续，放射科部门为保护患者和医护人员以及减轻疾病传播所做的努力已经减少了影像学检查量。本研究旨在通过医生工作相对价值单位（wRVU）来量化大流行对放射科各个实践领域医生生产力的影响。
对 2019 年和 2020 年 1 月 1 日至 7 月 1 日期间所有签署的诊断性和程序性放射学报告进行了整理。根据 Medicare 医师费用表，为每种研究类型分配了医生工作 RVU。利用部门分配，将放射科医生的时间表映射到每个报告上，以生成每个报告周分配给该部门的 wRVU 总和。相对于 2019 年的匹配时间段和 2020 年大流行前相同长度的时间段，计算各部门的差异影响。
所有实践领域的 wRVU 均从 2020 年大流行前到大流行期间大幅下降，平均降幅为 51.5%（范围为 15.4%-76.9%）。降幅最大的是乳腺影像、肌肉骨骼和神经放射学，分别下降了 76.9%、75.3%和 67.5%。降幅最大的检查方式是乳房 X 光摄影、磁共振成像和非 PET 核医学。
所有放射科实践领域和检查方式的 wRVU 均大幅下降。乳腺影像、神经放射学和肌肉骨骼放射学的降幅最大。了解大流行对各实践领域的不同影响，将有助于放射科部门更好地了解人员配备需求和财务影响，从而为大流行的深度和持续时间做好准备。
