by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | September 11, 2025
A new analysis of private insurance claims data shows a gradual but notable decline in the number of U.S. radiologists dedicating most of their clinical work to pediatric imaging.
The findings, published in the
Journal of the American College of Radiology, suggest a potential strain on access to specialized imaging services for children.
Researchers from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute used a large national claims database, encompassing data from commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans, to track workforce trends from 2016 to 2023. They found that although the total number of radiologists has increased, the subset specializing primarily in pediatric care has decreased.
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The study identified 9,198 unique radiologists over the study period who met the threshold of at least 50% of their annual work relative value units (wRVUs) involving pediatric imaging. However, the number of pediatric-focused radiologists dropped from 2,190 in 2016 to 2,032 in 2023.
“This is the first study to use claims data to systematically identify pediatric radiologists and track workforce trends over time,” said Casey Pelzl, principal economics and health services analyst at the Neiman Institute.
Adjusting the definition of pediatric specialization affected the workforce count significantly. Raising the threshold to 75% reduced the number of pediatric radiologists by nearly 19%, while lowering it to 25% increased it by over 47%. As a share of all radiologists, those meeting the 50% threshold declined from 6.4% to 4.6% over the study period.
“Many radiologists are delivering pediatric imaging services without formal subspecialty certification,” said Dr. Hansel J. Otero, vice-chair for clinical research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the study’s senior author.
The study also notes a new 15-month pediatric subspecialty certification pathway approved by the American Board of Radiology, set to begin in March 2025. However, certification remains optional.
Researchers say their claims-based approach may offer a more accurate picture of workforce capacity and could inform future training and policy decisions.
