• CNC Announces Slate of ACR Candidates for 2024
• ACRA Announces Scope of Practice Fund Awards to 4 State Societies
• SIR Podcast Features James Brink, MD, FACR, on Bond Between IR and DR
• CPI Editor’s Choice 2024: Breast Imaging
• ACR CEO Talks About Issues in Medicare’s Appropriate-Use Criteria Program
• ACR Responds to Editorial Criticizing Breast Screening Guidelines
• Lower Shift Volumes Result in Fewer Errors, Neuroradiology Study Shows
• Breast Cancer Screening Video Now Available in Spanish
• SBI to Host 2024 Breast Imaging Symposium in Montréal in April
CNC Announces Slate of ACR Candidates for 2024
UPDATE MARCH 5, 2024: For health-related concerns, Jacqueline A. Bello, MD, FACR, has withdrawn her candidacy for ACR President. Therefore, the ACR® College Nominating Committee (CNC) has reopened the Call for Nominations for the position of President. Potential candidates must submit an application by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 14, 2024. Details are available here.
The College Nominating Committee (CNC) is tasked with making recommendations for the College’s elected/selected annual positions, encouraging all active ACR members to consider a role in College leadership and governance to lead the future of radiology. Below are some of the positions the ACR Council will vote on at ACR 2024, which takes place in April in Washington, D.C.
Officers
- Jacqueline A. Bello, MD, FACR, of New York, N.Y., for president.
- Catherine J. Everett, MD, MBA, FACR, of New Bern, N.C., and Pamela K. Woodard, MD, FACR, of St. Louis, Mo., for vice president.
Board of Chancellors
- Richard Duszak Jr., MD, FACR, of Jackson, Miss., has been recommended to run for a second three-year term to chair the Commission on Leadership and Practice Development.
- Maxwell R. Amurao, PhD, MBA, of Fairview Heights, Ill., has been recommended to run for a first three-year term to chair the Commission on Medical Physics.
- Dorothy I. Bulas, MD, FACR, of Washington, D.C., has been recommended to run for a first three-year term to chair the Commission on Pediatric Radiology.
- Sharon D'Souza, MD, MPH, of Tulsa, Okla., and Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FACR, of Kahului, Hawaii, have been recommended to run for a first three-year term as Member-at-Large.
- Reginald F. Munden, MD, MBA, DMD, FACR, of Charleston, S.C., has been recommended to serve as the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) Representative for a second three-year term.
- Adam E. Flanders, MD, of Bensalem, Penn., has been recommended to serve as the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Representative for a first three-year term.
- Naiim Ali, MD, of Burlington, Vt., and David C. Mihal, MD, of Cleveland, Ohio, have been recommended to run for a two-year term as the Young and/or Early Career Professional Section (YPS) Representative.
For the full list of positions and candidates, visit the ACR website.
ACRA Announces Scope of Practice Fund Awards to 4 State Societies
The Alabama Academy of Radiology, the Iowa Radiological Society, the Michigan Radiological Society and the New York State Radiological Society are the most recent recipients of grants from the American College of Radiology Association® (ACRA®) Scope of Practice (SOP) Fund for the 2023–2024 state legislative cycle. These recipients will use their grant dollars to advance their advocacy goals and educate lawmakers and their staff members about the vital role radiologists play in the healthcare system.
The state societies are aware of potential threats within their state legislatures and remain vigilant with their efforts to advocate against non-physician scope-of-practice expansion.
The SOP fund was established in 2021 by the ACRA to safeguard patients and patient access to radiologist expertise by fighting state and federal non-physician SOP expansion legislation. Non-physician provider groups continually seek expanded authority by introducing legislation that would, for example, reduce radiologist oversight and enable their ability to direct-bill.
For more information, contact Eugenia Brandt, ACR Senior Government Affairs Director, or Dillon Harp, ACR Senior State Government Relations Specialist.
SIR Podcast Features James A. Brink, MD, FACR, on Bond Between IR and DR
In a recent episode of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) podcast The Kinked Wire, 2023 ACR Gold Medal recipient James A. Brink, MD, FACR, joins host and interventional radiologist Warren Krackov, MD, FSIR. In "Episode 48: Unlocking Radiology’s Potential: The Synergy Between Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology," the two discuss a variety of topics such as the strength of the bond between IR and DR.
The podcast follows a webinar cohosted by the ACR and SIR in December 2023 titled “IR and DR: Better Together or …?” and serves as a preview of a town hall meeting by SIR on March 24.
To listen to the podcast episode, visit the SIR website.
CPI Editor’s Choice 2024: Breast Imaging
The ACR Continuous Professional Improvement (CPI) program has introduced a new module: CPI Editor’s Choice 2024: Breast Imaging. Curated by editor Gary J. Whitman, MD, FACR, this “best of” breast imaging compilation showcases 60 image-based self-assessment questions with detailed explanations of the images, correct answers and incorrect answers. It will challenge you with its variety of case content while offering 10 CME – two more than previous CPI breast modules.
This self-assessment module includes:
- Breast case topics that include commonly encountered breast imaging entities, patient management, breast imaging artifacts, and emerging state-of-the-art imaging techniques and procedures.
- Practical questions on the use of ACR BI-RADS® categorization and ACR Appropriateness Criteria®.
- About 200 multi-modality images using mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis, stereotactic core biopsy, US, MR, CT, PET/CT and more.
Learn more about this new module.
ACR CEO Talks About Issues in Medicare’s Appropriate-Use Criteria Program
In July 2023, the federal government dealt a blow to advocates of radiology’s march toward value when it announced it was pausing the appropriate use criteria (AUC) program. Radiology Business recently chatted with ACR CEO William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, FACR, regarding the government’s decision and the AUC program as a whole.
Thorwarth expressed his disappointment with the decision, stating how it will affect not only radiologists, but also other areas of healthcare such as pharmacy. He said this is one of the more disappointing moments in his time with the ACR. Despite frustrations and the expense of trying to push the AUC through, Thorwarth believes it to be worth the effort to benefit the specialty.
Read the whole interview here.
ACR Responds to Editorial Criticizing Breast Screening Guidelines
The ACR has responded to an editorial published Feb. 5 in the Annals of Internal Medicine stating that it “relies on obsolete, hyperbolic information” and that most experts wouldn’t support delayed or less-frequent breast cancer screening. The editorial states that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) breast cancer screening guidelines may lead to confusion among women considering undergoing breast cancer screening, leading to more harm tied to screening.
The College also claims that the over-screening risks mentioned in the editorial are “overstated” and “nonlethal,” and that high overdiagnosis claims are “not well-founded.”
Read the full editorial here. Read the ACR’s statement here. Read the full article regarding the editorial and the ACR’s response here.
Lower Shift Volumes Result in Fewer Errors, Neuroradiology Study Shows
Researchers recently disclosed in the American Journal of Neuroradiology that workflow management to reduce the rate of error isn’t where it needs to be within the United States. Using CT and MR from the UC Davis’ Neuroradiology Quality Assurance database from 2014 to 2020, experts analyzed data and found that the lowest error rates were seen when physicians worked a limited 19 to 26 studies per shift. Error rates increased by 226% when volume increased to 67 to 90 studies per shift.
The databased showed 643 mistakes, with almost 92% said to be clinically significant, meaning it had a RADPEER® score of 2B or 3B. The overall error rate among neuroradiologists in the study was 2.36 per 1,000 CT and MRI exams. The error rate dropped to 1.59 per 1,000 when 26 exams or fewer were read in a shift.
Read the article regarding the study here.
Breast Cancer Screening Video Now Available in Spanish
The ACR Patient-and Family-Centered Commission (PFCC) has released the first of many patient-friendly animated videos translated into Spanish explaining breast cancer screening and breast imaging. Share it with referring providers to help Spanish-speaking patients better understand their breast imaging.
The videos are aligned with the patient-friendly summaries of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria®.
Download the video from the ACR YouTube channel.
Thyroid Ultrasound Using ACR TI-RADS
Test your knowledge of the ACR Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS™) and earn 3.0 CME through this case-based activity, which allows learners to identify and differentiate between signs in the five sonographic feature categories for thyroid nodule categorization and management determination using ACR TI-RADS guidelines.
Access the activity on the ACR website.
SBI to Host 2024 Breast Imaging Symposium in Montréal in April
Join the SBI in Montréal on April 11–14 for the 2024 Breast Imaging Symposium, held in affiliation with the Canadian Society of Breast Imaging. With the theme “Reimagining Breast Imaging – Seeing Opportunities Together,” the event will showcase world-recognized experts from both sides of the Canada–U.S. border.
The event takes place at the Montréal Convention Centre. Record turnout is expected, and hotel availability is filling up fast. Four dedicated tracks will cover topics including improving interpretive accuracy, applying new technologies, implementing AI systems, making practices more efficient, discovering new ways to work and practicing wellness. Read about the highlights here.