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Cherokee Nation Health Services reports low vacancy rates, nationwide radiology delays and plans for resident training
Summary
Health services told the committee staffing numbers are strong overall, with targeted vacancies; radiology reads face national delays and Cherokee Nation will take on radiology residents to help meet demand.
Cherokee Nation Health Services reported stable recruitment numbers and described a national shortage of radiologists that has slowed non-urgent reads, and said the tribe will add radiology residents to reduce delay.
Doctor Steve Jones told the Cherokee Nation Health Committee that the tribe reports 216 full-time medical staff positions on the clinical medical staff line with 13 vacancies, and overall 463 health professional positions with 16 vacancies. "So pretty good numbers on our vacancy rate when it comes to our professional health staff," Jones said.
On radiology, Jones said Cherokee Nation maintains a contract with DIA for image reads but that non-stat reads are taking longer amid a nationwide shortage of radiologists. "There's a shortage of radiologists across the nation," Jones said. He said the tribe expects to begin taking two radiology residents next month to build capacity.
Jones said Cherokee Nation monitors turnaround times and meets regularly with DIA leadership; stat reads have remained timely, he said, while routine reads have lengthened compared with recent years as the field faces retirements and workforce reductions.
Committee members asked for routine-order turnaround times; Jones said Doctor Hart tracks that metric and reports it to leadership.
Why this matters: Staffing and imaging-read times affect clinical capacity across Cherokee Nation facilities and can influence scheduling, patient follow-up and diagnostic workflows.
