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Collaborative Guidelines

Endorsements and collaborative efforts with other medical specialty societies

ACR® supports collaboration with medical societies that develop clinical practice guidelines, appropriate use criteria, position statements and other communications related to the practice of diagnostic imaging, medical physics, interventional radiology and radiation oncology. We view such collaborations as an opportunity to improve the delivery of patient care and to provide clarity in communicating good medical practices for patients and other stakeholders.

We prefer to be actively engaged in the development or revision of documents, especially if the goal is ACR endorsement. Engaging ACR representatives in discussions about scope, recommendations and clinical issues facilitates the endorsement process.

ACR endorses clinical matters related to diagnostic imaging, medical physics, interventional radiology and radiation oncology only. We require a minimum of 30 days for considering endorsement of documents organized by other societies.

Organizations seeking ACR participation on clinical, practice guidance or other documents may submit requests by first completing the Collaborative Requests Form.

List of ACR-endorsed documents

What We Endorse

Types of documents typically considered for collaboration or endorsement.

Statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care, informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options.

Criteria that are evidence-based to the extent feasible and that assist professionals who order and furnish applicable imaging services to make the most appropriate treatment decisions for a specific clinical condition.

Identify, select, assess and synthesize the relevant body of research and help make clear what is known or not known about the potential benefits and harms of alternative drugs, devices and other healthcare services.

The official, published editorial taken by a professional organization regarding best practices, standard of care or inconclusive evidence-based research. Position statements are typically updated regularly.

A document intended to inform practitioners, payers and other interested parties about evolving areas of clinical practice and/or technologies that are widely available or new to the practice community.

These documents are evidence-based whenever possible but tend to be shorter than guidelines and developed around a topic that is more narrowly focused, new or emerging, and for which a smaller body of evidence is available.

Doctor wearing a white coat sits at a table and holds a blue folder in both hands.

Send questions about ACR collaboration or endorsement to collaborativeguidelines@acr.org.

The R of the ACR logo as a cutout on a white background. Inside the cutout are brain scans. The words "Practice Parameters and Technical Standards" appear in the white space between the bottom legs of the R.

ACR Practice Parameters & Technical Standards

(PP&TS)

Promote the safe and effective use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology by describing specific training, skills and techniques.

View PP&TS
A Black female radiologist looks at a scan of the human body on a futuristic monitor. The ACR logo R is superimposed onto the image in a light blue tone.
The words ACR Appropriateness Criteria are superimposed over an indigo background that contains a black circle. Inside the circle is an image of a transparent scan of the entire human body.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria®

(AC)

These evidence-based guidelines assist referring physicians and other providers in making the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision for a specific clinical condition.

Access AC