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Americans Face Doubling Wait Times for Imaging Results

4/6/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A study published March 31, 2026 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology shows Americans now wait twice as long for imaging results than in 2014.
Medicare claims from over 2.6 million imaging studies show CT wait times rose 318% and MRI wait times 256% since 2022.
Shortages of trained radiologists are the primary cause, especially in low-income communities.
Experts say the trend could worsen unless capacity grows.

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Story summary

A study published March 31, 2026 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology shows Americans now wait twice as long for imaging results than in 2014.
Medicare claims from over 2.6 million imaging studies show CT wait times rose 318% and MRI wait times 256% since 2022.
Shortages of trained radiologists are the primary cause, especially in low-income communities.
Experts say the trend could worsen unless capacity grows.