ACR News
RADPAC Hosts First 2005 Fundraiser
RADPAC has picked up where it left off last year, having already hosted its first fundraising event of 2005 in its Washington, DC, office. The March 1 fundraiser was held in honor of Georgia Rep Phil Gingrey, MD (R).
Gingrey's 26 years of practice as an obstetrician/gynecologist led to his appointment to serve as one of two House Republican members assigned to promote the Republican message on health care access and affordability at the district level. Gingrey also serves on the important and influential House Rules Committee. RADPAC and 8 other medical specialty PACs came together to collect $18,500 for the Gingrey fundraiser.
ACR Encourages Members to Review NEMA Code of Ethics
The ACR encourages its members to review the updated National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Code of Ethics. As relationships between health care practitioners and the health care industry continue to make headlines in the media and draw government attention, professional associations that represent practitioners and vendors have responded to this scrutiny by developing or revising their codes of ethics. A significant organization for ACR members, NEMA recently issued an updated code of ethics. NEMA is the national association of medical imaging and radiation therapy equipment vendors and is based in Arlington, Va.
NEMA's updated code took effect January 1 and addresses interactions between suppliers of medical imaging equipment and health care providers. ACR members may view the code at www.acr.org/ethics. The revised NEMA code changes some parts of vendor-sponsored product training and education, restricting the type of hospitality that imaging vendors may offer to providers. NEMA also tightens standards for consultant relationships between its members and providers and research grants from vendors to providers. Although the code is voluntary, it likely will become a key component of an equipment vendor's internal compliance program. For more information, please contact Robert Britain or Clark Silcox of NEMA at (703) 841-3241 or (703) 841-3280.
ACRIN Recruiting Sites for PET Imaging Protocol
The American College of Radiology Imaging Network, in cooperation with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, opened the clinical trial "Positron Emission Tomography: Pre- and Post-treatment Assessment for Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC)" on March 1. Led by Principal Investigator Mitchell Machtay, MD, from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the trial's primary purpose is to evaluate the ability of peak standardized uptake value determined by FDG-PET, shortly after definitive chemoradiation, to predict long-term survival in inoperable Stage II/III NSCLC.
Approximately 250 participants will be recruited into the study over the course of 2 years. All participants will be followed for outcomes for 3 years beyond the end of the accrual period. Participating institutions must be RTOG members and submit an ACRIN qualifying application.
Visit ACRIN's Web site at www.acrin.org for more information on this critical new trial or e-mail project manager Irene Mahon at imahon@phila.acr.org.
ISA Mammography 3 CD-ROM Now Available
The latest edition to the ACR's popular mammography interpretive skills assessment series is now available. ISA Mammography 3 provides users with 272 carefully constructed, multiple-choice questions about the management of 32 new cases. The mammography ISA self-evaluation program enables radiologists to test their level of knowledge and understanding of mammography while earning up to 9 CME credits. Instant feedback and text explanations are provided for both correct and incorrect responses, and, once complete, users can transmit their scores to the ACR electronically or by fax or U.S. mail.
The price of ISA Mammography 3 is $99 for ACR members and $199 for nonmembers. For members in training, the cost for the CD-ROM is only $39. To purchase, visit the ACR Store at www.acr.org or call ACR Publication Sales at (800) 227-7762.