What is actually happening is that veterinary radiologists are realizing that they are no different than anyone else. We believed that as specialists we were different. If we went to do a residency we would automatically have a job that paid more than we were worth. We believed that if we signed on at a referral hospital the other specialists would send us cases.
What we found was that other specialists are poaching our cases. The internists are taking ultrasound. The neurologists are taking MRI. The surgeons are taking CT.
What we found was employers pushing reimbursements down while increasing the work volumes and decreasing turnaround times. We are working longer and harder for less pay.
What we found was that job security is a thing of the past. We hoped that our ACVR credentials would guarantee us a caseload and job security. Unfortunately, production compensation at referral hospitals and teleradiology have only guaranteed that working as an anonymous middle man doesn’t guarantee job security. Specialists at referral hospitals are choosing not to send cases to the radiologist and teleradiology has ensured that our employers can siphon cases away from us at the flip of a switch.
We found that we have no spokesperson to fight for our interests or educate us in ways to navigate the increasingly treacherous landscape of veterinary radiology. The ACVR choose not to act as a trade union representative and told us that “the job of the ACVR is to train residents.”
We found a radiology landscape that is mired in fear of litigation as both employment agreements and service agreements (under which radiologists are working as independent contractors) that include restrictive non-compete clauses that have been the subject of litigation
Perhaps we can find solace in the fact that we are not alone. The newspaper business, law firms, the record industry, and even general veterinary practitioners are finding their industries turned upside down too.
This background stress of no job security, decreased reimbursements, increased workload, and fear of litigation has many radiologists whining that the future is bleak. It is not fair but this is the “new normal” and it is time to get used to it.
Many radiologists believe that in the “new normal” the cards are stacked against them. They are dead wrong.
They are wrong because they are trying to fit an old way of business into the “new normal.” In order to find happiness, radiologists need a revolution in the way we think and work.
Radiologists, more than any other specialist, are in a position to reap the benefit of the Internet and create a “new normal” where they are the focus of their work and they can affect the lives of their clients. The opportunity is there for anyone tell their story, to be in demand, to satisfy the needs of their clients, and change the world around them.
This opportunity is not a guarantee of success. The old economy offered a guarantee that if you put in your time and you showed up for work you would have stability and a pretty good income.
The “new normal” offers little in the way of stability but allows any radiologist the opportunity to do things their way. In the past, you needed an expensive ultrasound machine, a transcriptionist, a marketing consultant, a staff to mail films back and forth, do your scheduling, and fax reports for you,. Advertising was expensive. Even at the referral hospital, you were at the mercy of your boss to be there when they wanted and work how they wanted. With new online tools, methods of collaboration, and advances in computing, there is nothing stopping a radiologist from taking control of their situation.
For example:
- A radiologist just moved to the Midwest and was turned down by all the referral hospitals. In response they captured essentially all of the teleradiology and mobile ultrasound in the city. There are dozens of stories like this around the country (and the world). The future of teleradiology is local and every radiologist, using tools like DVMinsight, can compete with any national provider.
- Google gives you the same ability to advertise and connect with veterinarians as the biggest marketing company
- Setting up a website (e.g. putting out your shingle) costs next to nothing.
- A vast network of radiologists are covering for each other when they are away, overnights, and when they are on the road.
- Setting up your business, through services like DVMinsight, costs nothing.
- The price of ultrasound sound machines has plummeted. Moreover, ultrasound machines are so small you no longer need a minivan to start a mobile ultrasound business.
- A radiologists in the South and another one in the Northeast, working at referral hospitals, just guaranteed their job security by bringing a teleradiology solution to their employer that 1) made their job more efficient 2) allowed them to be in charge of coverage when they are not available to read cases and 3) allowed them to build a local teleradiology caseload to fill in gaps because the other specialists were not using their services.
The list goes on and on. With the new normal, your happiness is only limited by your imagination. Finding happiness as a radiologist is easy if you realize your are capable of making a difference and the “new normal” is an opportunity and not reason to bitch and moan at the ACVR meeting.