WHAT DOES AN IMAGING MANAGER DO?

Published: Aug 8, 2025 - The Imaging Manager oversees the daily operations of the X-ray and MRI departments, ensuring high-quality imaging, efficient staffing schedules, and regulatory compliance. This role manages hiring, employee evaluations, and addresses physician and patient concerns related to service and image quality. The manager also ensures proper equipment maintenance and performs ongoing audits to evaluate departmental efficiency and employee satisfaction.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Imaging Manager

1. Imaging Manager Duties

  • Radiation Safety: Implements and monitors radiation safety and quality program to minimize radiation exposure, prevent unnecessary exposure, and ensure quality images.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Conducts regular and special radiation surveys by local, state, and federal requirements.
  • Report Generation: Develops timely and accurate workload, statistical, and operating reports and makes appropriate recommendations to improve productivity and utilization of staff, equipment, and materials.
  • Issue Resolution: Resolves on a first-level human resources and labor relations issues.
  • Staff Engagement: Performs daily huddles and rounding to engage staff, improve employee satisfaction, and contribute to the retention of staff.
  • Staff Supervision: Supervises daily work procedures and performance of Diagnostic Imaging Technologists and other assigned staff members.
  • Work Scheduling: Schedules Technologists and patients/exams/procedures and assigns daily work.
  • Equipment Safety: Ensures that supplies, techs, and radiation generation equipment are utilized safely and by all departmental, organizational, local, state, and federal radiation standards.
  • Complaint Handling: Addresses and resolves patient and staff complaints/issues.
  • Cross Collaboration: Works with other departments in partnership to improve patient workflows, outcomes, and satisfaction.
  • Quality Review: Reviews clinical tests, documentation, records, and procedures for quality.
  • Process Monitoring: Monitors work and clinical processes, procedures, and systems to ensure quality, patient care, and clinical standards/goals are achieved.
  • Program Improvement: Assists in the design and implementation and improvement of a department-wide quality management/assurance program.

2. Imaging Manager Details

  • Performance Monitoring: Monitors and reviews the performance of staff and participates in formal performance evaluations.
  • Staff Coaching: Disciplines and coaches staff in regards to attendance, quality, safety, and performance.
  • Staff Onboarding: Hires and onboards new staff to ensure service, safety, attendance, and quality expectations are fully understood.
  • Policy Training: Trains and implements new policies and procedures to ensure staff are educated and trained in the latest protocols and quality initiatives.
  • Competency Observation: Trains and observes staff to ensure competency in greeting patients, performing hand hygiene, checking two patient identifiers, using appropriate safety mobility devices, and performing correct protocols and exams.
  • Procedure Analysis: Analyzes Diagnostic Imaging Technology administrative and clinical procedures, processes, and systems in terms of quality, cost, efficiency, and productivity metrics and makes appropriate recommendations to modify or improve.
  • Project Facilitation: Facilitates process improvement projects to increase efficiency and provide a safe environment for patients and staff.
  • Staff Engagement: Engages staff to identify efficiencies.
  • Waste Reduction: Identifies opportunities to reduce waste by improving and standardizing workflows and work processes.
  • Compliance Monitoring: Monitors and maintains compliance on an ongoing basis.
  • Standards Compliance: Ensures compliance with TJC, NCQA, MQSA, and other applicable local, state, and national standards, requirements, and regulations.
  • Radiation Safety: Implements and monitors radiation safety program to minimize radiation exposure and prevent unnecessary exposure.
  • Radiation Surveying: Conducts regular and special radiation surveys per local, state, and federal requirements.

3. Imaging Manager Responsibilities

  • Operations Management: Manage and direct the daily operation of assigned areas and staff.
  • Program Development: Develop, implement, maintain, and enforce departmental programs, policies, procedures, and protocols.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure and maintain documentation for compliance with safety, environmental, and infection control standards, and with local, state, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American College of Radiology (ACR), The Joint Commission (TJC), and HIPAA regulations.
  • Target Monitoring: Monitor compliance with standards, identify variances or inabilities to meet established targets, and implement action to ensure that targets are met.
  • Facility Oversight: Direct the maintenance of department facilities, equipment, supplies, and materials in a condition to promote efficient, safe, and effective services for patients, physicians, and staff.
  • Service Promotion: Market and promote Imaging services to referring physicians.
  • Public Relations: Represent Imaging services on committees and function as a liaison among the general public in community relations and marketing activities.
  • Cross Collaboration: Develop and foster collaboration among clinical departments and affiliated services to ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to providing Imaging services and the resolution of customer complaints or problems.
  • Problem Resolution: Collaborate with physicians and staff to resolve problems.
  • Technical Advising: Provide advice concerning technical procedures, techniques, and equipment.
  • Personnel Management: Perform all personnel functions including hiring, evaluations, promotions, disciplinary process, and scheduling.
  • Staff Training: Ensure that all employees are properly oriented, trained, and that annual competencies, certifications, licensure, and education requirements are current.

4. Imaging Manager Job Summary

  • Professional Development: Enhance professional growth and development of department staff through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service meetings, and workshops.
  • Policy Implementation: Develop, implement, and apply personnel management policies and procedures by organizational and department policies.
  • Policy Compliance: Ensure that department and hospital guidelines, procedures, and personnel policies are understood and applied to staff.
  • Performance Planning: Develop and implement a Performance Improvement plan for Imaging Services.
  • Cost Management: Work with all levels of the organization to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and achieve effective use of imaging services.
  • Budget Oversight: Manage the operating budget within the assigned area.
  • Labor Analysis: Review productivity and labor analysis and adjust staff to meet budget and flex FTE allotment.
  • Budget Adjustment: Create operational adjustments to ensure operating budget targets are met.
  • Equipment Evaluation: Evaluate and recommend supplies, new equipment purchase selection, and technologies.
  • Need Justification: Provide justification and prioritization of such needs.
  • Supply Ordering: Order procedural and operational supplies.
  • Charge Accuracy: Oversee and ensure that exams and supplies are coded correctly and charged to maximize reimbursement.
  • Policy Adherence: Adhere to TMC organizational and department-specific safety, confidentiality, values, policies, and standards.

5. Imaging Manager Accountabilities

  • Operations Management: Manage the day-to-day operations of X-ray in the clinics.
  • Concern Handling: Handle physician clinic concerns including speed, delays, quality of images, etc.
  • Staff Hiring: Manage hiring of new employees with the consultation of the Director of Imaging.
  • Performance Evaluation: Manage the annual evaluation process with the consultation of the Director of Imaging.
  • Compliance Preparation: Manage the State of Ohio compliance and survey preparation.
  • MRI Support: Assist with the operation of the MRI department including staffing, processes, and equipment.
  • Schedule Management: Manage staffing schedules and answer patient questions.
  • Equipment Assessment: Ensure imaging equipment is adequate.
  • Efficiency Evaluation: Continuously evaluate the imaging department's efficiencies.
  • Satisfaction Review: Continuously evaluate employee satisfaction.
  • Image Auditing: Complete audits of the image quality of all the technologists.
  • Patient Escorting: Escort patients to the X-ray suite.
  • Patient Preparation: Prepare patients for X-ray.
  • X-ray Execution: Perform X-rays as required by physicians.
  • Procedure Performance: Perform C-ARM procedure.
  • Procedure Logging: Document the procedure performed in the logbook.
  • Room Escorting: Escort patients back to exam rooms.
  • Team Communication: Communicate with physicians, patients, and staff.
  • Equipment Maintenance: Ensure equipment is maintained properly.
  • Supply Ordering: Order X-ray supplies.
  • X-ray Handling: Pull, file, and mail back X-rays.