#FocusedForwardTogether
Discussion of upcoming advocacy efforts taking place during the ACR 2025 annual meeting and how members can participate.
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William T. Herrington, MD, FACR
William T. Herrington, MD, FACR, Immediate Past President of the American College of Radiology® (ACR®), contributed this piece.
After more than a decade of service, radiology luminary William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, FACR, is stepping away as Chief Executive Officer of the ACR to embark on a new chapter. As we prepare for his retirement on June 30, join me in celebrating his profound impact and unwavering commitment to advancing the field of radiology. In this blog, Dr. Thorwarth reflects on his journey.
The workforce shortage is our biggest challenge, and it is not just radiologists. I have a slide that says “The good news is that we have made ourselves indispensable. The bad news is that we have made ourselves indispensable.” Radiology, including all our specialties/subspecialties, contributes to virtually every significant episode of healthcare, and the demand is rising. That means providing 24/7/365 access with rapid turnaround times and an expanding demand for subspecialty expertise. This has put an incredible strain on the radiology workforce with only about 1,200 new residents/fellows graduating each year. There is no “quick fix,” but the ACR has done several things to address this. We have supported increasing the number of available training slots, but this requires congressional action and is not a short-term fix. Another major effort is the development of the ACR
Appropriateness Criteria which are designed to guide referring physicians and other providers as to whether any imaging exam will help their patient and, if so, which one. This could eliminate unnecessary and inappropriate exams thus decreasing the overall workload and allowing radiologists to concentrate their time and effort on those exams that really provide benefit. Finally, I want to mention the incredible work being done by our Data Science Institute investigating ways that artificial intelligence and machine learning can make radiologists and all radiology personnel more efficient, while preserving high quality care. There are exciting developments ahead.
#FocusedForwardTogether
Discussion of upcoming advocacy efforts taking place during the ACR 2025 annual meeting and how members can participate.
Read moreLessons from Hurricane Helene and Beyond
Radiology as a profession has weathered countless storms in recent memory. The many unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 years; seemingly endless CMS cuts and declining reimbursement in the face of soaring imaging volumes and workforce shortages; dangerous scope of practice expansion by unqualified individuals, and the increasingly prevalent corporate practice of medicine.
Read moreA Commitment to Quality and Safety in Imaging
The field of radiology continues to evolve, driven by groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), technology and more. As we usher in a new era of AI, workflow optimization and advanced imaging techniques, we must continue to provide the highest standards of quality and safety to safeguard our patients.
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