American College of Radiology

The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1923, is a professional medical society representing more than 38,000 diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists. The ACR is centered on six core functional areas: membership value, quality and safety, advocacy, economics, research, and education.

The ACR currently has 54 chapters — one from all 50 states, DC, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Council of Affiliated Regional Radiation Oncology Societies (CARROS).^[1]

Medical Imaging Accreditation

Since 1987, the College has accredited more than 39,000 medical imaging facilities in 10 imaging modalities, including:

1. Breast MRI
2. Breast Ultrasound
3. Computed Tomography
4. Mammography
5. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
6. Nuclear Medicine
7. Positron Emission Tomography
8. Radiation Oncology Practice
9. Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
10. Ultrasound

Appropriateness Criteria

The ACR Appropriateness Criteria® (ACR AC) are evidence-based guidelines that assist referring physicians and other providers in making the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision for a specific clinical condition. The guidelines were created to help providers enhance quality of care and contribute to the most efficacious use of radiology. The ACR AC includes 178 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics with 912 clinical variants and over 1,550 clinical scenarios.

ACR AC are freely available to all physicians via ACR Select, a module contained within CareSelect Imaging.

In creating the ACR AC, the ACR Task Force on Appropriateness Criteria incorporated attributes for developing acceptable medical practice guidelines used by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as designed by the Institute of Medicine.

Data Registries

The ACR National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR®) develops benchmarks and comparisons to help imaging facilities improve quality of patient care with its collection of registries related to a range of radiological procedures. NRDR aims to help facilities measure progress, document quality, enhance strengths and identify opportunities for improvement by providing objective measures regarding processes and outcomes in comparison to similar facilities nationwide. Available registries include:

• CT Colonography (CTC) Registry
• Dose Index Registry (DIR)
• Interventional Radiology (IR) Registry
• General Radiology Improvement Database (GRID)
• Lung Cancer Screening Registry (LCSR) ^TM
• National Mammography Database (NMD)

NRDR has been approved as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for 2018 MIPS Reporting.

Specialized Medical Education

• ACR Education Center ― The ACR Education Center, located in Reston, VA, offers specialized mini-fellowships in more than a dozen clinical areas.
• American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP®) ― The AIRP is a program of the American College of Radiology that conducts five courses for radiology residents and fellows, and seven categorical courses for practicing radiologists and other physicians each year in Silver Spring, MD.
• Radiology Leadership Institute® (RLI) ― The RLI is a source of leadership and business management training specifically for radiologists.
• The ACR also provides online education courses, lifelong learning and CME for medical students and physicians throughout their careers.

Publications

• The Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR) – The official journal of the American College of Radiology.
• ACR Bulletin – The ACR Bulletin is a monthly publication covering topics relevant to the practice of radiology.

Collaborations

The ACR provides patient information through the website Radiologyinfo.org,^[2] co-produced by the Radiological Society of North America, to help patients understand how various radiology procedures and radiation therapy are performed.

ACR Foundation

The mission of the ACR Foundation is to advance the profession and practice of radiology to benefit patients through specific emphasis on health policy research. The Foundation’s board has focused its efforts on advancing health policy research in an effort to:

• Demonstrate the critical role that radiologists have in the era of team-based health care to best serve patients and society
• Prioritize research opportunities to positively influence the policies that impact clinical care delivered to patients
• Develop empirical evidence that clarifies the role and value of radiology in evolving payment methodologies thus guiding policy-makers and payers in allocating resources to the most valuable patient care services
• Evaluate and demonstrate the important role that early detection of disease plays in population health management

See also

• American Board of Radiology

References