Imaging report turnaround times climbed 27% in a single year, Medicare data show

Medicare outpatient imaging interpretation turnaround times increased 27% from 2023 to 2024, reaching 6 h 1 min on average. The share of studies read ≥1 day later quadrupled in a decade (1.97% to 7.39%), per JACR analysis of ~3M claims.

• From 2014 to 2024, average turnaround time rose from 2 h 11 min to 6 h 1 min (177% increase), with 92% of the change occurring since 2022.
• Modality breakdown: ultrasound saw the largest 1-year increase (49%), radiography 35%, CT 12%, MR 5%; over 10 years, CT increased most (381%).
• The study used a 5% Medicare fee-for-service sample of office- and hospital-based outpatient claims, covering nearly 3 million exams.

Automated summary

RadPigeon summaries are original and for information only. They are not clinical advice.