ACR: Imaging Provisions in House Bill Could Save Lives

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) applauds inclusion of multiple ACR-backed provisions in the U.S. House of Representatives Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), FY 2026 spending bill and accompanying report language. ACR urges the House and Senate to pass the legislation with these patient care improvements intact before the current federal budget lapses Sept. 30.

The bill reflects House Committee on Appropriations report guidance that encourages NIH and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to continue to integrate imaging technologies into clinical trials, calling scans a “known necessity for a cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

The legislation also supports increased funding for women’s health research, modern breast cancer screening trials, focused ultrasound, theranostics techniques, and efforts to improve diversity in clinical research.

The ACR Center for Research and Innovation™ is a leader in many of these areas – including landmark NIH/NCI-funded and ACR-managed studies like the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) and the New Ideas Study. ACR agrees with the committee report that states, imaging “should continue to hold a core function in the clinical trial process.”

“The House Appropriations Committee report is correct that radiology exams are ‘essential components of cancer diagnosis and treatment’ and for other diseases, illnesses and injuries,” said ACR CEO Dana Smetherman, MD, MPH, MBA, FACR. “We urge Congress to pass final legislation that reflects this approach and retains ACR-backed provisions that can save lives.”

More information about radiology provisions in the FY26 Appropriations Bill is available on the ACR website.

To speak with an ACR spokesperson, contact Shawn Farley at PR@acr.org or 703-869-0292.