How teleradiology pay is structured
The common ways remote reading is paid, what a work RVU is, and why published salary figures do not describe contract work.
Last reviewed November 2026.
The common arrangements
Contracts for remote reading commonly pay in one of four ways:
- a salary;
- a rate for each shift or hour;
- a rate for each study, set by modality;
- a rate for each work RVU.
Many add a differential for nights, weekends or holidays. We have not found a public survey that reports how often each arrangement is used or what it pays, so read these as the arrangements you will meet, not as statistics.
What a work RVU is
Medicare's Physician Fee Schedule assigns each service relative value units, including a work RVU for the physician's effort. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes the values each year and has a look-up tool for them. Medicare turns RVUs into dollars with a conversion factor it sets each year: for 2026 it is $33.40, or $33.57 for clinicians in qualifying alternative payment models. For 2026 the agency also lowered the work RVUs of services that are not time-based by 2.5 percent.
If a contract pays per work RVU, ask which year's values it uses and what it pays for each one.
What published salary figures cover
The federal wage survey behind our radiologist pay pages counts radiologists who are paid as employees. It does not cover the self-employed, and it leaves out the owners and partners of unincorporated firms. Its figures describe employed radiologists, not 1099 teleradiology work.
Equipment
The ACR–AAPM–SIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging, revised in 2022, covers the workstation and displays used to interpret images, including images sent to another location to be read. It describes itself as an educational tool, not a legal standard of care. Ask who supplies and maintains your workstation and displays.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What counts as one study, and how are comparisons and addenda counted?
- Is there a minimum volume or a guaranteed amount for a shift?
- What are the differentials for nights, weekends and holidays?
- Who pays for licenses, credentialing, malpractice coverage and equipment?
- Is the work employment or independent contracting? See W-2 or 1099.
Sources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Physician Fee Schedule look-up tool
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Physician Fee Schedule relative value files
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Calendar year 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule fact sheet
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: frequently asked questions
- American College of Radiology, ACR–AAPM–SIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging (revised 2022)
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and figures change; the sources above are the place to check them.