The Voice of Radiology Is Getting Louder

Amy Kotsenas, MD, FACR, Chair of the American College of Radiology^® (ACR^®) Commission on Membership and Communications, contributed this piece.

Getting the message out to the public, policymakers and payers regarding radiology’s vital role in quality healthcare and the importance of patient access to this lifesaving care is central to the mission of the ACR and falls in line with our new strategic plan to increase member value, improve radiologic care and strengthen healthcare for all.

In the second quarter of 2023, ACR’s media relations reached new heights in terms of audience reached, the number of news reports featuring ACR spokespersons and/or messaging, and the number of ACR reports in top-tier broadcast, print and online media.

In the last quarter, ACR was quoted or cited in 4,000 news reports – reaching a total audience of more than 12 billion. Primary issues in which ACR was quoted/cited in top media include breast cancer screening, lung cancer screening, ACR Data Science Institute™ (artificial intelligence), Neiman Health Policy Institute®, JACR® studies and full-body MRI.  The return on investment in this media coverage is substantial. The cost to purchase advertising equivalent to the earned media coverage mentioned above would be $23 million.

Q2 highlights in a nutshell:

• ACR was mentioned in news reports on every US and UK television and radio network – including The Today Show, CBS News, FOX News and NPR.
• ACR is cited and quoted in all major wire services (Associated Press, Reuters, United Press International, Yahoo News, MSN, Bloomberg, Healthday and Kaiser Health News).
• ACR positions were covered in every major US newspaper and relevant magazine and consumer health news sites – including The Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, WIRED and Newsweek.  

ACR membership is also actively engaged in keeping up-to-date with the latest advocacy news. The weekly Advocacy in Action e-newsletter, which highlights our advocacy, economics, regulatory and research effort boasts a 62% open rate (and 8% click through rate) – nearly double even the highest published industry standard for healthcare and association emails and e-newsletters.

ACR staff are committed to delivering on our strategic plan objective to increase radiology’s influence across the house of medicine, industry and government.

Thank you for staying engaged and informed. If you have not done so already, I invite you to subscribe to the Advocacy in Action e-newsletter to stay on top of all ACR public affairs news.

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