LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A national shortage of workers in the healthcare industry is now impacting another specialty, and patients in Michigan are feeling the pinch.

A shortage of radiologists and radiology technicians in the U.S. is compounded by an aging Baby Boomer population with a rising demand for more medical imaging tests. That translates to longer wait times for results.  The lack of these medical professionals who conduct X-rays and MRIs is impacting all Michigan hospitals regardless of size and location, according to the Michigan Hospital Association.

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“When there are always so many things to do and you have so many balls in the air, it is difficult to pause and shift your focus to a problem you’ll have in 10 years,” said Dr. Eric Rubin with the American College of Radiology. He mentioned a new influx of newly insured patients is also contributing to the squeeze.

Dr Rubin said, “We have a significantly larger pool of insured patients that were brought in under the Affordable Care Act. While it is always the goal to provide people with insurance coverage, there were some missteps in establishing ways to increase the capacity to care for them within our healthcare system.”

The gap between the number of physicians and increasing patient loads is expected to widen by 2036. The Association of American Medical Colleges says that will trigger a shortage of between 13,500 and 86,000 physicians by 2036. Radiology, which falls within the group’s “other specialties” category, will reach 19,500 physicians.

The use of technology, like AI, could help curb the doctor-patient load in radiology, according to Rubin. “I don’t think AI for clinical interpretation is mature enough now to make jobs easier for radiologists on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “Where it can help is with clinical, non-interpretive tasks — similar to the efficiencies afforded by PACS and other technologies.”