title: Can academic radiology departments become more efficient and cost less?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine how successful two large academic radiology departments have been in responding to market-driven pressures to reduce costs and improve productivity by downsizing their technical and support staffs while maintaining or increasing volume.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal study was performed in which benchmarking techniques were used to assess the changes in cost and productivity of the two departments for 5 years (fiscal years 1992-1996). Cost per relative value unit and relative value units per full-time equivalent employee were tracked.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Substantial cost reduction and productivity enhancement were realized as linear improvements in two key metrics, namely, cost per relative value unit (decline of 19.0% [decline of $7.60 on a base year cost of $40.00] to 28.8% [$12.18 of $42.21]; P < or = .001) and relative value unit per full-time equivalent employee (increase of 46.0% [increase of 759.55 units over a base year productivity of 1,651.45 units] to 55.8% [968.28 of 1,733.97 units]; P < .001), during the 5 years of study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Academic radiology departments have proved that they can "do more with less" over a sustained period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Partners HealthCare, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Seltzer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Bramson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Chiango
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seth
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elton
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elrick
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Thrall
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019985:Benchmarking; D001900:Boston; D003363:Cost Control; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004526:Efficiency; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*