Abstract
Until now the authors could identify three components to be critical to a well-functioning radiology system:
 
 The radiological self-perception and perception by others as a discipline.
 The radiologist as a human being.
 Depending on where the respective radiology department is located, the financial resources of radiology are very variable.
 
 It is consensus in the medical community that radiologists play a key role in the diagnosis, treatment, and protection of patients [1]. In the past, various societal changes have led to a decline of reimbursement for radiological procedures and reductions in the quantity and quality of output. So-called demedicalization trends in radiology departments are taking place [2]. To make radiology fit for survival, several measures and strategy changes should be observed in the future. As we have learned from the various financial crises over the past 30 years, most western economies are driven primarily by profit maximization and ultra-rapid return on investment, leading to major inequalities in the distribution of wealth and health in society [3]. Will this be still acceptable in the future? Can radiology continue as it has been over the last decades? Business as usual? Will there be a significant financial deterioration in health system resources in the future, that will impact radiology negatively? To attempt to answer these questions, possible strategies for the survival of radiology as an independent discipline are discussed.
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