Women’s imaging encompasses many radiology procedures related to women and the diseases that are most prevalent to women such as breast cancer or gynecological issues. Mammogram, breast ultrasound, breast MRI and breast biopsy are the most commonly used procedures.
Due to the elective, rather than diagnostic, nature of these exams, operators are not required to complete formal training or be registered if the scans are done in privately owned entities.
About 60% of those experiencing delays said they’ve struggled to find doctors who accept Medicare, the Radiology Business Management Association reports.
The findings point to a "real need for better tools to identify which women may benefit from screening and which breast cancers are unlikely to be progressive."
Breast radiologists are known to have higher rates of burnout in comparison to many of their peers, but the beginning of the pandemic brought this group something not often encountered within the specialty—downtime.
"This system is bringing with it a greater humanization of AI and therefore a more realistic representation of what we do as radiologists,” one member of the specialty said.