Radiology exams cost 131 million euros in 2024

Radiology exams represented the fourth largest agreed expense of the National Health Service (SNS) in 2024, totaling around 131 million euros, the Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) announced this Wednesday.

"In 2024, the NHS's expenditure on the conventional radiology sector reached approximately €131.3 million, representing a 0.7% reduction compared to 2023," the ERS states in the conclusions of a monitoring study of this area. According to the regulator, expenditure amounted to €12,949 per 1,000 inhabitants .

The regional health administrations (ARS) of the Center and Alentejo regions saw increases of 7.2% and 0.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, reductions were seen in the Algarve (-4.6%), Lisbon and Tagus Valley (-4.0%), and North (-1.1%). "Despite the slight overall reduction, the largest expenditures in the conventional radiology sector continued to be concentrated in the North (€52.2 million) and Lisbon and Tagus Valley (€43.8 million) regions, which is expected given their higher population densities," the ERS states.

The Alentejo (€4.9 million) and Algarve (€4.7 million) regions recorded the lowest values. "The analysis of the costs of the conventional radiology sector, weighted per 1,000 inhabitants, revealed that, in 2024, in mainland Portugal, there was a slight decrease compared to the previous year, falling from €13,037 (in 2023) to €12,949, representing a reduction of €88," he emphasizes. This reduction followed an increase (€245) between 2022 and 2023, revealing a slowdown in the upward trend in costs per inhabitant.

The ERS indicates that, at a regional level, the Central region stood out, being the only one to show a significant increase in 2024 (up €1,016 compared to 2023) , reaching the highest value nationally (€15,089 per 1,000 inhabitants). In turn, the Lisbon and Tagus Valley and Algarve regions saw the largest decreases in charges per 1,000 inhabitants last year, with reductions of €485 and €469, respectively, solidifying a downward trend in these areas that already began in 2023.

The North region, which had recorded the highest value in 2023 (€14,384 per 1,000 inhabitants), saw a slight decline in 2024 (down €159), while still maintaining a high level of per capita expenditure (€14,225 per 1,000 inhabitants). The Alentejo region, in turn, saw a marginal increase of €72, remaining the region with the lowest expenditure (€10,302 per 1,000 inhabitants), alongside the Algarve.

At the end of last year, the Regulated Establishments Registration System (SRER) included 716 establishments providing radiology care, 21 more than in 2023, 84.9% of which were non-public. Establishments with radiology agreements represented 55.4% of the total private market in mainland Portugal, although 54.7% of Portuguese municipalities did not have an agreement.

In terms of demand, 458 requests were accepted per 1,000 inhabitants, representing a national increase of 0.6% compared to 2023. The North and Center regions showed the highest values, while the Algarve (-16.2%) and Alentejo (-11.2%) showed the largest declines.

At a competitive level, it was found that the 46 operators with the highest volume of paid requests were responsible for 80.2% of the total requests accepted for payment.