This wrap-up features articles and links on several topics, including: 

• RLI Honors Weissman and Zaidi with 2023 Leadership Award
• Blue Ribbon Panel Examines Fluoroscopy Safety
• Army Radiologist Receives Prestigious U.S. Military Award
• ACR Members Urged to Complete AMA Survey on Costs, Payments
• HPI and DSI Research Predicts Rapid Growth in AI Medical Imaging Tools
• New Topics Added to ACR Appropriateness Criteria^®
• Animated Videos Help Patients Understand Lung Cancer Screening
• Neiman Institute Grant Applications Being Accepted
• 2023–2024 Call for Nominations Open for ACR Leadership
• ACR Education Center Offers Discounts on 2024 Courses

Frank J. Lexa, MD, MBA, FACR, presents the 2023 RLI Impact in Leadership Award to Ian Weissman, DO, FACR (at left), and Syed F. Zaidi, MD, MBA, FACR (at right).

RLI Honors Weissman and Zaidi with 2023 Leadership Award

Ian A. Weissman, DO, FACR, and Syed F. Zaidi, MD, MBA, FACR, have been named recipients of the 2023 Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI^®) Impact in Leadership Award. The award recognizes an individual whose participation in an RLI course or program was integral to the successful completion of a specific project or initiative at the individual’s practice or institution. 

Weissman applied his leadership skills to build a two-part national well-being project to combat burnout among physicians. His project has successfully impacted the well-being of radiologists within his institution, within his state chapter and across the country. Read more about his project and the ripple effect it has made. 

Zaidi shared two leadership success stories benefiting both his private practice and a partner hospital. His project involved taking the leadership term “co-management” and developing a strategy to partner with Aultman Hospital to “co-manage” risks, strategic goals and investments, allowing the practice to act more as a partner with the hospital. The results have positively impacted clinical quality metrics, patient care and financial outcomes. This co-management model continues to be used more than 10 years later and recently was applied to a population health management project. Read more about the details of his projects. 

Do you have a project to share? The 2024 Impact in Leadership Award submission process opens in January 2024.

Blue Ribbon Panel Comes to Consensus on Fluoroscopy Safety 

On Oct. 2–3, 2023, the multisociety Blue Ribbon Panel on Fluoroscopy Safety met at the ACR headquarters in Reston, Va., to discuss the current state of radiation safety, quality assurance, credentialing and privileging for both physician and non-physician fluoroscopy operators, and other issues related to the safe use of fluoroscopy. The panel included representatives from more than 20 organizations, regulatory agencies and accrediting bodies. The aim was for the panel to come to consensus on how to improve and standardize the safety of fluoroscopy for both patients and users.

The ACR convened the Blue Ribbon Panel, which has been co-chaired by Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD, FACR, chair of the ACR Commission on Medical Physics, and Kevin W. Dickey, MD, FACR, vice chair of the ACR Commission on Interventional Fluoroscopy. The panel meeting consisted of multiple breakout sessions and open discussions on fluoroscopy safety issues. The meeting concluded with the creation of a consensus-derived outline for a white paper, with the goal of having it published in multiple journals in the coming months.

Stay tuned to the ACR Bulletin for more information.

U.S. Army Col. Mohammad Naeem, MD, FACR, at left, receives award from Jonathan Woodson, MD.

Army Radiologist Receives Prestigious U.S. Military Award

U.S. Army Col. Mohammad Naeem, MD, FACR, outgoing director of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute and a U.S. Army diagnostic radiologist, recently was presented with the Legion of Merit from Jonathan Woodson, MD, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The presentation took place in Bethesda, Md., on July 12, 2023.  

Authorized in 1942, the Legion of Merit is one of the U. S. military’s most prestigious awards, ranking just below the Silver Star and ahead of the Distinguished Flying Cross. It is one of only two decorations to be issued as neck wear, the other being the Medal of Honor. 

The Legion of Merit is typically limited to colonels and general officers for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements in command and senior staff duties, and fidelity and loyalty in either combat or noncombat positions. In peacetime, service should be in the nature of a special requirement or of an extremely difficult duty performed in an unprecedented and clearly exceptional manner. The decoration is issued both to U.S. military personnel and to military and political figures of foreign governments.

ACR Members Urged to Complete AMA Survey on Costs, Payments

The ACR is encouraging members who are contacted by the AMA to participate in a nationwide survey that will be provided to CMS with the goal of helping increase relative values and reimbursements. The AMA Physician Practice Information (PPI) Survey is underway to collect updated and accurate data on practice expense and hours spent in direct patient care.

“It is urgent for all selected physicians to actively engage in this effort,” an ACR press release says. “These data have not been updated since last collected more than 15 years ago; it is critically important to update these data to ensure accurate payment.”

The survey is endorsed by more than 170 medical societies and other healthcare associations and is being facilitated by consulting firm Mathematica until April 2024. Communications to selected ACR members are being delivered via email from ppisurvey@mathematica-mpr.com or in hard copy form vial Priority Mail from Mathematica. Both contain a link to the survey and supporting information about the survey methodology, sample size and timing.

As radiologists’ workload continues to increase, AI will be a crucial tool to manage this growth over the next few decades

HPI and DSI Research Predicts Rapid Growth in AI Medical Imaging Tools

The number of AI medical imaging products approved by the U.S. FDA is expected to increase five-fold by 2035, fueled by a surge in venture capital funding, according to a new study by the Harvey L. Neiman Policy Institute^® (HPI) and the ACR Data Science Institute^® (DSI).

Published in the JACR^®, the research found that annual AI funding grew from $2 billion in 2013 to $13 billion in 2022. It currently takes about six years from funding to FDA approval, and the study projects there will be 147 new AI products in 2028, according to an HPI press release. 

“As radiologists’ workload continues to increase, AI will be a crucial tool to manage this growth over the next few decades,” says Keith J. Dreyer, DO, PhD, FACR, chief science officer at ACR DSI and chief data science officer at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“Artificial intelligence has grown rapidly and is already changing the way healthcare professionals work,” says Christopher Treml, DSI director of operations. “Based on this research, we expect that growth to continue accelerating over the next decade and change the field in new and exciting ways as AI products are developed and integrated into practice.”

Read the study in the JACR.

New Topics Added to ACR Appropriateness Criteria

The newest release of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria^® includes nine new and nine revised topics along with more than 3,000 clinical scenarios. New topics include Sepsis; Imaging of Invasive Breast Cancer; and Cerebrovascular Diseases — Stroke and Stroke-Related Conditions. Revised topics include Clinically Suspected Adnexal Mass; No Acute Symptoms; Chronic Hand and Wrist Pain; and Urinary Tract Infection — Child. 

Learn more on the ACR’s Appropriateness Criteria web page.

Animated Videos Help Patients Understand Lung Cancer Screening

Two lung cancer videos are helping patients understand screening eligibility criteria and learn how to participate in shared decision-making with their physicians. Aligned with the patient-friendly summaries of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria^®, the videos help patients determine whether screening is right for them and provide instructions on how to calculate smoking history. 

Access the videos.

Neiman Institute Grant Applications Being Accepted

The Neiman Institute Grants Program seeks applications for novel research that advances radiological practice, improves patient outcomes, reduces health disparities, informs the appropriate use of that care and demonstrates value to support adequate reimbursement to ensure access for patients.

Apply by Jan. 29, 2024. 

2023–2024 Call for Nominations Open for ACR Leadership

The College Nominating Committee has opened this year’s Call for Nominations for candidates to serve in roles in ACR leadership and governance. The committee is seeking candidates for election and/or selection for April 2024. The online Candidate Application along with the list of vacancies, qualifications and other criteria can be found on the Call for Nominations page of the ACR website. Deadline for completed candidate applications is Dec. 6, 2023.

ACR Education Center Offers Discounts on 2024 Courses 

Invest in your education in 2024 by attending immersive, hands-on classes at the ACR Education Center, which offers high-caliber courses and provides access to emerging clinical information in a variety of specialized fields. Participants are able to work through new and challenging cases with individualized faculty support. Early-bird pricing is available through Dec. 31. Applicants can take advantage of the lowest prices ever and save up to $600. Explore the full course offerings and register today.