The Next Chapter in Radiology Informatics

Informatics in radiology has never been about quick wins — it is, and always has been, a long-range endeavor. As leadership of the ACR Commission on Informatics transitions, this perspective remains central to our mission: to thoughtfully guide the integration of technology into radiology in ways that meaningfully support clinicians and improve patient care.

Over the past decade, informatics has evolved from foundational digital transformation into an era defined by artificial intelligence, expanding interoperability and growing cybersecurity demands. These advances bring immense opportunity, but also substantial complexity. The work of the Commission and establishment of the ACR Data Science Institute^® stewards the profession across this shifting landscape by building infrastructure, fostering collaboration and aligning long-term strategy with the needs of radiologists in practice.

This work is inherently collaborative. Success depends on engagement across a broad ecosystem that includes clinicians, regulators, industry partners and professional societies. It also relies on the dedication of volunteers and staff who contribute their expertise over many years. Informatics initiatives often span leadership terms, whether developing practice parameters, accreditation pathways or clinical tools. Progress requires shared vision and a willingness to build incrementally over time paired with fresh perspective and renewed energy.

A key focus moving forward is ensuring that innovation translates into real-world value. While tools such as AI applications and decision support systems continue to mature, adoption remains a challenge. The “activation energy” required to integrate these tools into daily workflows — building trust, ensuring usability, and demonstrating value — can be significant. Lowering these barriers will be critical to realizing the promise of informatics.

Importantly, the informatics landscape extends well beyond AI. Radiologists are navigating issues such as workforce pressures, increasing imaging volumes, data sharing requirements and information-blocking regulations. Informatics sits at the intersection of these challenges, offering both solutions and new complexities. Addressing them requires not just technological innovation, but thoughtful implementation grounded in clinical realities.

Looking ahead, our priority is to meet radiologists where they are, across diverse practice settings, and provide practical, accessible resources that support their work. We champion interoperability of EHR and radiology systems at the data and workflow level to enable more seamless information integration and management. We seek to support radiologists in their ability to make their work more guideline-driven, quantitative, actionable, and relevant to individual patient risk assessment, screening and diagnosis to facilitate clinical decision-making. ACR continues to assess emerging technologies such as ensemble AI models and agentic workflows, to provide guidance and monitoring solutions for member practices. We continue to listen carefully to the needs of the radiology community, to ensure that informatics strategies reflect those insights.

Ultimately, the goal remains unchanged: to empower radiologists to deliver the highest quality patient care in an increasingly complex, data-driven environment. By taking the long view and investing in collaboration, continuity, and thoughtful adoption, we can ensure that informatics continues to strengthen the specialty and shape its future in meaningful ways.