What Does the ACR Do for Me?


At every stage of your career — from residency through retirement — the American College of Radiology works to expand your opportunities, safeguard your future, maintain uncompromised standards, push the frontiers of education and clinical research, and ensure that radiology's voice is heard on Capitol Hill and in the nation's state houses. For 83 years, the ACR has been the recognized voice for imaging professionals and a tireless champion of patient safety.

While our mission is broad and complex, our commitment to our membership of more than 32,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, and clinical medical physicists is simple. We exist to provide you with the professional, educational, and informational tools you need to uphold radiology's position in today's increasingly challenging health care environment.

That said — exactly what does the ACR do for you? Here are some of the College's responsibilities and successes on your behalf:

Advocacy

The ACR's government relations team continues to make major strides in addressing key issues on the federal and state fronts. It is your eyes, ears, and voice in Washington, D.C. Faced with the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), the ACR joined with other imaging stakeholders in an effort to delay and defeat implementation of the DRA imaging cuts.

Later, as part of the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), the ACR persuaded federal lawmakers to introduce legislation calling for a two-year moratorium on imaging reimbursement cuts and a comprehensive study to determine the full impact of these cuts, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas. The ACR continues to apply pressure on this issue as it supports the Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007. The ACR also worked with other medical organizations to block a proposed 4.4 percent cut in the 2006 Medicare Fee Schedule.

RADPAC®, the political arm of the ACR Association™, collected a one-year record of $683,690 in 2006, making it one of the largest health-care political action committees. The ACR also teamed with ACR chapters on multiple state legislative issues, including physician self-referral, certificate of need, teleradiology, tort reform, and recognition of radiologist assistants.

Economics and Health Policy

The economics and health policy department works diligently with Medicare on a variety of issues. This department is working on various surveys and data collection tools to measure the impact of Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) imaging reimbursement cuts on the ACR membership. In addition, the department interfaces with private insurance on appropriate payment of radiology services, including the new mammography codes and application of the multiple procedural reduction rule.

Quality and Safety

Guidelines and Technical Standards: To help advance the science of radiology and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the United States, the ACR has established more than 150 practice guidelines and technical standards. These guidelines and technical standards are used by radiologists, hospitals, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to improve the delivery of imaging, radiation therapy, and interventional services. More than 500 medical specialists carry out this exhaustive, meticulous review cycle at least every five years.

Accreditation: To date, the ACR has established eight accreditation programs, with efforts underway to add an additional program. On the insurance front, UnitedHealthcare announced that, for its freestanding facilities and physician offices, it will reimburse for MR, CT, PET, and nuclear medicine only when those services are provided at an accredited facility. The ACR is one of only two organizations whose accreditation is recognized by UnitedHealthcare. Implementation is slated for March 1, 2008. Other federal and state governmental bodies recognize the excellence of ACR accreditation programs.

Appropriateness Criteria®: Through our expert panels in diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology, the ACR has developed more than 160 sets of evidence-based guidelines to assist referring physicians and other providers in making the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision. Increasingly, third-party payers and software vendors recognize the value of this tool. The Appropriateness Criteria also enhance quality-of-care decisions; contribute to the most efficacious use of radiology; help providers deal with issues of overutlization of radiological care, and soon will provide information on appropriate radiation dose.

Education

In June 2006, the College enhanced its reputation as a leader in radiologic education by cutting the virtual ribbon to The ACR Campus™. Accessible worldwide 24 hours a day (http://campus.acr.org), this online education program offers world-class lecturers and content on a host of leading-edge topics in medical imaging. The convenient Web-based learning format allows participants to sharpen skills and meet educational requirements — from the convenience of a computer. Among the highlights of The ACR Campus™:

  • ACR Campus Web Lectures: Renowned lecturers discuss radiology subspecialties and technologies in a modality-based online learning experience with subjects ranging from breast imaging to neuroradiology and GI radiology. Series features include the Cardiac Lecture Series: Basic, Grand Rounds Lecture Series, OB Ultrasound Lecture Series, and The Society for Pediatric Radiology Postgraduate Course Lecture Series. Among the upcoming offerings is the ACR's Ultrasound Symposium Lectures, presented by the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital faculty, whose 17 lectures will cover basic ultrasound imaging.

  • The Waiting Room: This series offers participants challenging breast radiology cases in a conventional waiting-room setting.

  • Doctor Challenger: This case-based educational opportunity focuses on the critical area of chest radiology, allowing participants to pit their skills against a fictional "opponent."

  • On-site Courses: The ACR continues to offer a full lineup of on-site weekend meetings and seminars for continuing medical education and maintenance of certification requirements. Courses include: Cardiac CT: Supervised Case Review; Second Annual Body MRI Update; Pay for Performance; Oncologic Imaging and Image-Guided Interventions; and Cardiac CT and MR: Supervised Case Review.

  • Case in Point: Thousands of ACR members use this service daily to help them hone their diagnostic skills by reviewing cases received from throughout the country. Due to popular demand, members can purchase Case in Point for CME.

Clinical Research

The ACR, via its research entities headquartered in the College's Philadelphia office, helps advance medical research and improve patient care by facilitating state-of-the art clinical trials recognized throughout the world. At the forefront of the ACR's research are the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN®), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG®), and the Quality Research in Radiation Oncology (Q-RRO™) project.

ACRIN: Following the 2005 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) article on the landmark DMIST, digital mammography trial, ACRIN continues to make important research contributions. Also reported in the NEJM, the MRI of the Contralateral Breast trial provided important clinical guidance regarding comprehensive breast cancer detection. Other high-profile trials, such as the National CT Colonography Trial and trials evaluating the use of imaging as a biomarker, establish ACRIN as a premier cancer research network.

The May 2006 launch of National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) under ACRIN/ACR management has led to the acquisition of PET data on more than 35,000 patients from more than 1,400 PET facilities and affords Medicare beneficiaries PET scan coverage for nearly all types of cancer. The ACRIN Fund for Imaging Innovation has been very successful to date and is now poised to expand ACRIN's flourishing research agenda.

RTOG: Today, RTOG is among the world's most respected oncologic health-care research organizations, boasting more than 260 academic and community-based facilities throughout North America and internationally that participate in an ever-growing series of significant protocols. RTOG continues to evaluate the latest forms of radiotherapy delivery and new systemic therapies in conjunction with radiotherapy, with the goal of increasing the lifespan and quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer. RTOG maintains dozens of active studies and recently launched the first-ever international brain tumor trial coordinated by an American organization.

Q-RRO: The Q-RRO project continues research from its multiyear National Cancer Institute funding grant, to assess the quality of radiation oncology delivery in the United States. Q-RRO evolved from the Patterns of Care Study and included a shift in emphasis toward measurement of quality of care. A related project, the Wisconsin Cancer Registry Evaluation (WI CaRE), receives funding assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the ACR's first research effort using state cancer registry data and the College's first CDC-funded project.