Hospitals Must Outsource Med Physics? The Truth About Healthcare's Last Fragmented Frontier

In this episode of Frame by Frame: Rethink Imaging, host Chris St. John sits down with Jason Schneck, CEO of One Physics, to unpack how medical physics is evolving as care shifts beyond hospital walls. Jason shares a frontline view of how outpatient expansion, workforce shortages, regulatory complexity, and emerging technologies like molecular imaging and theranostics are reshaping the role of medical physicists. He explains why the profession remains underrecognized, how consolidation and outsourcing are not threats but structural responses to modern care delivery, and why flexibility, scale, and advocacy are becoming essential to patient safety and quality imaging.

Medical physics is at an inflection point.

As imaging and care delivery move rapidly into outpatient centers, ambulatory clinics, and community-based locations, the traditional in‑house physics model is being stretched beyond what it was designed to support. Jason Schneck offers a candid perspective on why this shift demands a more mobile, scalable, and collaborative medical physics workforce.

Jason discusses why medical physics remains one of the most underappreciated pillars of healthcare despite its central role in radiation safety, accreditation, and image quality. He outlines how fragmentation across the industry has slowed progress, while growing demand for CT, PET, molecular imaging, and theranostics is creating strong tailwinds for the profession.

The conversation explores the perceived divide between insourced and outsourced physics, reframing it as a spectrum of complementary models rather than a zero‑sum debate. Jason explains how outsourced physics groups provide broad equipment exposure, regulatory expertise, and system-wide consistency while still integrating deeply with onsite care teams.

Looking ahead, Jason predicts continued consolidation, increased advocacy, expanded residency programs, and more intentional career pathways for physicists. He emphasizes that change is inevitable, but with responsible leadership, it can strengthen patient safety, clinician satisfaction, and the future of the profession.

What You’ll Learn:

Why medical physics is often underrecognized despite its impact on patient safety
How outpatient and ambulatory expansion is changing workforce needs
Why fragmentation has slowed consolidation in medical physics
How insourced and outsourced physics models coexist in modern healthcare
The role of scale in regulatory advocacy and education
Why molecular imaging and theranostics are accelerating demand
How residency programs and awareness can address workforce shortages
What the next 10 years may look like for the medical physics profession

Chapters:

[00:00] Care Moves Beyond the Hospital Walls
[01:18] Introducing Jason Schneck & One Physics
[03:38] Why Medical Physics Is Underrecognized
[04:20] Fragmentation and Consolidation in Healthcare
[06:00] Insourcing vs. Outsourcing: A False Divide
[08:11] Addressing Perceptions of Outsourced Physics
[10:17] Structuring Successful Physics Partnerships
[12:12] Safety, Regulation, and Avoiding Check-the-Box Care
[15:16] Scale, Advocacy, and Industry Influence
[17:00] Presence, Culture, and Care Team Integration
[19:06] Why Insourcing Alone Isn’t Sustainable
[20:20] Knowledge Sharing and Peer Collaboration
[22:41] Theranostics & Pluvicto Explained
[25:46] The Future of Medical Physics
[27:20] Workforce Shortages & Training Pipelines
[30:14] Barriers to Entry in Medical Physics
[32:42] Is Outsourcing a Stopgap or the Future?
[35:12] Closing Thoughts