How State Radiology Chapters Lead the Way in Advocacy
From Hawaii to Massachusetts, radiology state chapters are proving that tailored, local advocacy drives meaningful change — one relationship and legislative win at a time.
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Dispatches February 2024
Feb. 1, 2024
- Celebrating the Life of Bruce J. Hillman, MD, FACR
- Former ACR President Proposes Potential Solution to Workforce Shortage
- Radiology Representation to the RUC Changes Will Take Place March 1st
Bruce J. Hillman, MD, FACR, passed away in December 2023 at age 75. Hillman was born and raised in Miami Beach and graduated from Princeton University in 1965 and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1973. He received his radiology training at Harvard Medical School’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
Hillman spent his 45-year career in academic medicine serving patients, institutions and colleagues to the best of his abilities. He was a former ACR and RSNA Gold Medal recipient, the founding editor-in-chief of the JACR from 2003 to 2018, and the chief medical officer of the ACR Image Metrix.
Hillman was beloved by his colleagues and will be dearly missed. Look for more on his life and legacy in the April online issue of the ACR Bulletin.
Former ACR President Proposes Potential Solution to Workforce Shortage
The radiologist work shortage was a big topic at December’s RSNA 2023 conference in Chicago. With medical facilities struggling to fill these positions, Howard B. Fleishon, MD, former ACR president, discusses a potential solution in an opinion piece published in the JACR. Titled “Radiology Workforce Shortage: The ‘Silver Squad’ Option,” the article urges older radiologists to come out of retirement and return to the workforce.
Fleishon points out that radiology doesn’t have a mandatory retirement age and asserts that many older radiologists can still add value to a care team. He encourages ACR members and others in the specialty to promote the solution by citing examples of successful integration of retired radiologists into practices. He also says organizations should provide resources in career centers to help these doctors find their role, even if it is part-time.
Read the article in JACR.
Changes in Radiology Representation to the RUC Take Effect March 1
The AMA/Relative Value Scale Update committee (AMA/RUC) is a multispecialty committee focused on making relative value recommendations to CMS for new and revised codes. RUC Advisors representing their specialties bring forth time and value recommendations to a panel of roughly 30 medical professionals.
On March 1, 2024, the following changes to the representation of radiology at the RUC will take place:
- Gregory N. Nicola, MD, FACR, will replace William Donovan, MD, MPH, FACR, as the Radiology RUC Member on the RUC Panel.
- Lauren Parks Nicola, MD, FACR, will replace Kurt Schoppe, MD, as the Alternate Radiology Member on the RUC Panel.
- Andrew K. Moriarity, MD, will replace Lauren Nicola as the ACR Radiology RUC Advisor.
- Michael T. Booker, MD, MBA, will replace Moriarity as the ACR Alternate RUC Advisor.
Recommended Reading from the Bulletin
The Next Chapter of Professional Improvement
Jennifer L. Pierce, MD, who took over as editor-in-chief for the College’s Continuous Professional Improvement program in January, discusses her career and goals in this new role.
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AI in Radiology — Billing Rules of the Road
The ACR is working to develop a coding framework that can evolve to ensure appropriate reimbursement for AI tools as they become more commonly used.
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