Breast Radiologist Salary in 2026: Academic Breast Centers, Community Imaging, and Teleradiology Pay

Breast radiologists (also called breast imaging specialists or women's imaging radiologists) are diagnostic radiologists who have completed a one-year fellowship in breast imaging and specialize in screening and diagnostic mammography, breast MRI, breast ultrasound, and image-guided breast interventional procedures. Breast imaging is one of the most volume-intensive radiology subspecialties: the USPSTF recommends annual mammography beginning at age 40, and with approximately 41 million women eligible for annual screening in the United States, mammography interpretation volume at high-throughput breast imaging centers can exceed 50–80 studies per day per radiologist. This volume efficiency, combined with the procedural income from image-guided biopsy and localization procedures, makes breast radiology one of the more financially productive diagnostic radiology subspecialties when practice settings are optimized for throughput.

Training and Certification

The standard pathway is one year of internship/transitional year, four years of ACGME-accredited diagnostic radiology residency, followed by a one-year breast imaging fellowship (ACGME-accredited or Society of Breast Imaging (SBI)-affiliated). The American Board of Radiology (ABR) administers the Breast Imaging subspecialty certificate examination, which requires completion of qualifying residency training, documentation of breast imaging training experience, and passing the ABR subspecialty examination. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) has a separate Breast Sonography credential for technologists, but the physician specialty certification is exclusively through ABR. Some breast radiologists complete MQSA (Mammography Quality Standards Act) interpreting physician qualifications within their general radiology residency and begin practicing breast imaging without completing a dedicated fellowship — though fellowship-trained subspecialists are preferred for leadership roles at breast centers and academic programs. The SBI and the American College of Radiology (ACR) have developed a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence (BICOE) accreditation program that requires dedicated subspecialty breast radiologists, driving demand for fellowship-trained candidates at centers seeking accreditation.

Key CPT Codes and Procedure Revenue

• Screening mammography (77067): Bilateral screening mammography including computer-aided detection (CAD); $60–$120 physician component; high-volume screening reads are the bread-and-butter of breast radiology revenue; AI-assisted mammography reading (MammoScreen, Transpara, ProFound AI) is increasingly used to improve recall rates and efficiency at high-volume screening programs
• Diagnostic mammography (77065, 77066): Unilateral or bilateral diagnostic mammography with additional views; $90–$160 physician component; higher complexity than screening reads due to symptom-specific evaluation, clinical correlation, and callback management
• Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) (77061, 77062, 77063): 3D mammography with tomosynthesis layer reconstruction; standard of care at most accredited breast imaging centers since FDA DBT approval; $100–$175 physician component; meaningfully higher reimbursement than 2D mammography alone
• Breast MRI (77049): Bilateral breast MRI with contrast for high-risk screening, preoperative staging, or occult primary cancer evaluation; $300–$500 physician component; high clinical impact read requiring detailed correlation with prior mammography and ultrasound findings
• Breast ultrasound (76641, 76642): Complete or limited breast ultrasound for evaluation of palpable mass, mammographic finding, or guided biopsy targeting; $80–$140 physician component
• Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy (19083–19086): Core needle biopsy or fine needle aspiration of breast lesion with ultrasound guidance; $300–$500 physician component; high-volume breast radiologists performing 3–5 biopsies per half-day generate significant procedure revenue beyond mammography interpretation fees
• Stereotactic breast biopsy (19081–19082): Stereotactic-guided core needle biopsy of mammographic calcifications or non-palpable masses; $400–$600 physician component; requires dedicated stereotactic biopsy equipment (upright or prone table); technically more complex than ultrasound-guided biopsy
• MRI-guided breast biopsy (19085–19086): MRI-guided core needle biopsy for MRI-only-visible lesions; $500–$800 physician component; requires breast MRI coil access and specific MRI-compatible biopsy equipment; highest-revenue breast biopsy procedure

Salary Ranges by Practice Setting

• Academic breast imaging center (NCI-designated cancer center affiliated): $380,000–$500,000; academic breast radiologists at major academic medical centers (Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic) combine high-complexity diagnostic reads and interventional procedures with research (AI mammography validation, novel contrast-enhanced mammography techniques), teaching, and fellowship supervision; protected research time reduces billable RVU production; PSLF-eligible; ACR/SBI fellowship program leadership opportunities
• Hospital-based breast imaging center (employed): $420,000–$560,000; hospital systems with comprehensive breast programs employ breast radiologists to staff accredited breast imaging centers; these positions combine high-volume screening reads with diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, MRI reads, and biopsy procedures; productivity-based compensation with wRVU threshold and bonus is standard; hospitals value breast radiologists as downstream revenue generators (biopsies lead to surgical procedures, oncology referrals, and post-treatment imaging)
• Private radiology group (women's imaging focus): $480,000–$620,000; private radiology groups with dedicated breast imaging subspecialists and high-volume mammography contracts generate strong revenue; group partners who share in practice ownership distributions earn above the employed range; MQSA compliance and ACR accreditation maintenance adds administrative overhead but protects the practice's ability to bill
• Dedicated breast imaging center (standalone or ambulatory): $450,000–$600,000; freestanding breast imaging centers (like RadNet, Alliance Medical Centers, Solis Mammography) employ or contract with breast radiologists for dedicated mammography interpretation; high-throughput screening models with AI-assisted reads allow experienced breast radiologists to interpret 70–100 screening studies per day; production-based compensation rewards high-volume readers
• Teleradiology breast imaging: $350,000–$500,000; remote breast imaging reading is increasingly viable for screening mammography with advanced AI-assisted reading tools and robust PACS connectivity; teleradiology breast radiologists can cover multiple sites from a central reading location; overnight/after-hours mammography reading for high-volume centers is a growing teleradiology segment

AI-Assisted Mammography and the Future of Breast Radiology Compensation

AI mammography tools (FDA-cleared algorithms from iCAD, Screenpoint Medical, and Lunit) have created both opportunity and tension for breast radiologists. On one hand, AI-assisted reads improve cancer detection rates (sensitivity) while reducing false positives (specificity), which reduces callback rates and patient anxiety — values that are intrinsic to the specialty. On the other hand, AI is enabling high-volume workflow models where individual radiologists interpret more studies per day with less cognitive fatigue — a productivity gain that theoretically could allow fewer radiologists to cover the same patient volume. Near-term, AI is functioning as an efficiency enhancer rather than a replacement for subspecialty-trained breast radiologists, who are still needed for diagnostic reads, biopsy guidance, and the nuanced clinical decision-making that AI cannot replicate. The longer-term impact on breast radiology compensation is being monitored by the ACR and SBI, but for the 2026 timeframe, AI assistance is positively correlated with breast radiologist income by enabling higher per-day productivity.

What we see at Ava Health

Breast radiology is one of the most consistently in-demand radiology subspecialties we recruit, driven by the structural requirement for MQSA-qualified interpreting physicians and the increasing standard of breast subspecialty certification at accredited breast centers. Hospital systems building comprehensive cancer programs routinely need dedicated breast radiologists to meet ACR BICOE accreditation requirements. The fastest placements we make are for high-volume community breast centers that offer productivity-based compensation models — these positions attract breast radiologists who want to maximize income through volume efficiency rather than the protected time model of academic programs. Candidates with both ABR Breast Imaging certification and documented tomosynthesis reading experience are immediately credentialable at any accredited breast center and have the strongest negotiating position in our active candidate pool.

Related: Radiologist Salary Guide, Neuroradiologist Salary Guide, Breast Surgeon Salary Guide, Interventional Radiologist Salary Guide.