Political donations for radiologists may be more important than many realize
Radiologists who are higher wage earners and more aware of the federal advocacy process are more likely to donate to radiology political action committees (PACs), according to recent research published in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.
The survey included responses from 336 of 4,474 radiologists, with 46 percent donating to a radiology PAC in the past year. Those with an annual personal income greater to $450,000 (average radiologist salary) or more were more likely to donate than those making less.
Lead author Michael J. Drabkin, with Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, and colleagues described the result as “expected,” but suggested targeting these high earners could increase overall radiology PAC donations.
Additionally, more than 75 percent of respondents claimed limited or no knowledge of the federal advocacy process. Those with good or excellent knowledge of the system had greater odds of donating.
Radiologists with awareness that membership dues and foundation funds do not fund the Society of Interventional Radiology’s PAC (SIRPAC) were also more likely to donate.
“It is possible that those who were unaware of this topic were less inclined to donate because they assumed that their society dues funded the PAC as well,” Drabkin et al. wrote. “Perhaps offering an opportunity for PAC donation upon paying annual dues would be effective.”
According to authors, age, sex, community, region and employment were not associated with likelihood of donating. After adjusting for covariates, practice years and SIRPAC awareness were not associated with whether or not a radiologist might donate.
One limitation of the study was its low 7.5 percent response rate. However, the team suggested their results may still be generalizable to radiologist overall, Drabkin and colleagues wrote.
The team noted that radiologists’ income depends primarily on diagnostic interpretation and image-guided procedures, and therefore their interests are often not the same as those lobbied for by groups such as the American Medical Association.
However, educating politicians on radiology interests may be even more important for the profession because nearly 50 percent of the public does not know that radiologists are doctors, Drabkin et al. argued.
“For all of the above outlined reasons, it is in the best interests of radiology and radiologists to have strong government relations in order to ensure that radiologists have a voice in the creation of policies that impact radiology,” they concluded.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.