Features

Those of us who’ve seen Generation Y progress from the digital playground to places alongside us in the workplace sometimes make too much of our differences. We tie ourselves in knots trying to figure out what makes members of this generation tick. What unleashes their endorphins. What we must do to “meet them where they are.” 

Whenever advanced imaging for low-back pain gets knocked as the “poster child” for overutilization in U.S. healthcare—not an uncommon occurrence—the context of the charge tends to waft away, unconsidered. That’s problematic. To be sure, lumbar-spine MRI in particular has a dicey cost-benefit proposition all its own. The scan’s technical component alone can ring up a bill north of $3,000.

Medical specialties across the board are getting creative as they work to bring millennials, aka “Generation Y,” into the fold. And even if there’s little truth behind the stereotypical associations—participation trophies, videogame addictions, fear of commitment—millennial radiologists are challenging the profession to adjust now or struggle to remain relevant later.

Some questions never seem to stop coming up. Should every single incidental finding be reported? If so, how so? In what sorts of cases might the reporting mislead clinicians rather than appropriately guide patient care? Here’s a fresh look at these perpetual concerns.