Stop Pegging Every Radiologist Into the Same Hole

As a healthcare recruiting business owner, one of the most frustrating things I see is a client getting fixated on price before they understand the physician.

Radiology is not a commodity.

And yet, sometimes the way radiologists are recruited, priced, and managed makes it feel like we're haggling over a product at a swap meet.

I have been recruiting and building businesses for nearly 20 years. I have worked in healthcare, workforce development, business, and government. I've sat at tables as a business owner, recruiter, lobbyist, and political strategist. Those experiences have taught me something pretty simple:

When you stop looking at the human being behind the credentials, you usually end up paying for the mistake later.

Radiology is changing quickly. Private equity has transformed parts of the industry. Imaging volumes continue to rise. Workforce shortages remain a serious concern.

But the conversation cannot simply be:

“What's your rate?”

There is a much bigger question:

“What does this particular radiologist bring to the table, and where will they be most successful?”

The numbers tell part of the story.

Radiologist attrition has more than doubled over the past decade, from roughly 1% to 2.5% annually.

Subspecialists — particularly breast and body imagers — are significantly harder to retain.

Breast and body imaging continue to rank among the most difficult areas to recruit.

And early-career radiologists can become some of the most valuable long-term members of a practice when their first placement is actually the right fit.

After nearly two decades of recruiting in healthcare, I have seen the other side of those numbers.

I have replaced radiologists because a client didn't like the way they reported.

I've replaced radiologists because turnaround times weren't what the practice expected.

I've seen physicians who looked perfect on paper turn out to be the wrong fit for a particular workflow.

And I've seen the opposite: a radiologist who may not have been the cheapest option, quickly becoming one of the most valuable hires because the specialty, volume, expectations, communication style, and practice environment actually matched.

That is why I don't believe there is a one-sheet rate for every radiologist.

A radiologist's value is not simply the number of RVUs they can produce.

It is their experience. Their subspecialty expertise. Their ability to handle volume. Their reporting quality. Their turnaround time. Their communication. Their reliability. Their flexibility. Their clinical judgment. Their care and passion. 

Those details matter.

And radiologists notice when we don't understand them. They also won’t trust you when you treat them like a flea market product. 

You cannot AI-recruit a passive radiologist.

You can use technology to find them. You can use AI to organize data. You can automate outreach.

But you cannot automate trust.

A physician who has been burned by a practice before is going to recognize a generic recruiting pitch in about thirty seconds.

“Great culture.”

“Flexible opportunity.”

“Competitive compensation.”

Okay.

Tell me what that actually means.

Increasingly, I see radiologists looking for smaller, stable practices, direct relationships with hospitals, meaningful flexibility, and leadership that understands the difference between getting through a worklist and practicing medicine well.

The practices winning this market aren't necessarily the biggest. 

They're the ones willing to stop treating every radiologist like they belong in the same hole.

They're willing to look at the individual.

They're willing to bet on the radiologist who cares about the work — not simply the radiologist who will accept the lowest rate.

And sometimes, yes, that means paying more.

But paying for the right physician is very different from overpaying for the wrong one.

I've seen radiologists we've placed help a large Midwest health system eliminate a backlog of more than 90,000 exams.

That doesn't happen because someone found the cheapest radiologist.

It happens when the right physician, the right opportunity, and the right relationship come together.

That is how I approach physician recruitment.

Not as a transaction.

As a relationship.

So, practice leaders: Are you still trying to fit every radiologist into the same hole — or are you finally recruiting for the physician you actually need?

I've written the longer piece with the supporting data and sources. Full post and sources are linked in the comments.

I'd genuinely like to hear how other practice leaders are thinking about this.