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ACR Learning Network

Join the nation’s top program for performance improvement in radiology and tap into your team’s unlimited potential.

ACR Learning Network

Focused on Improvement

To prepare to join the Learning Network, your organization starts by participating in ImPower. There, your team learns and applies quality improvement tools, earns continuing education (CE) credits and collaborates with peer institutions.

All improvement collaboratives are led and supported by ACR® staff, Quality Improvement leaders, and collaborative committees.

Apply online to ACR's ImPower Program

  • Lung Cancer Screening

    Identify and evaluate opportunities to increase utilization of LCS programs.

    Learn more
    ACR Learning Network Lung Cancer Screening Improvement Collaborative - an illustrated outline of a tree with colorful leaves on top of the R from the ACR logo on a light green backdrop.

  • Mammography Positioning

    Improve breast cancer detection through optimized mammography positioning.

    Learn more
    ACR Learning Network Mammography Positioning Improvement Collaborative - an illustrated outline of a tree with colorful leaves on top of the R from the ACR logo on a light pink backdrop.

  • Prostate MR Image Quality

    Improve clinically significant prostate cancer detection and localization.

    Learn more
    ACR Learning Network Prostate MR Image Quality Improvement Collaborative - an illustrated outline of a tree with colorful leaves on top of the R from the ACR logo on a light orange backdrop.

  • Recommendations Follow-Up

    Improve early detection of lung cancer for incidentally detected pulmonary nodules.

    Learn more
    ACR Learning Network Recommendations Follow-Up Improvement Collaborative - an illustrated outline of a tree with colorful leaves on top of the R from the ACR logo on a light blue backdrop.

  • General Improvement Group

    Improve outcomes for a specific issue at your facility

    Learn more
    ACR Learning Network General Improvement Group

Outstanding Performance Program

Recognizing facilities demonstrating sustained high-quality outcomes in specific ACR Learning Network improvement collaborative measures.

Learn more

ACR® ImPower

Achieve your goal to deliver high-quality, safety-oriented care. The ImPower program guides project teams in learning and applying quality improvement skills, so that together, we can continue to improve patient outcomes.

ACR ImPower - an illustration of a mountain showing non-linear growth from bottom left to right, labeled 1-5. The first step is labeled Project Preparation, second is Evaluate the Current State third is Determine Key Drivers, fourth is Brainstorm and Test Interventions, fifth and final is Implement High Reliability Solutions.

1. Project Preparation

Select local team members, define the project scope and gain consensus on the collaborative measure(s).

2. Evaluate the Current State

Conduct a thorough current state analysis at your facility and identify the core issues that are leading to the problem.

3. Determine Key Drivers

Identify project sub-goals that directly address your facility's core issues.

4. Brainstorm and Test Interventions

Develop specific solutions that address your key drivers and test those solutions using PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles.

5. Implement High Reliability Solutions

Validate the impact of your interventions with data, continue to refine interventions and focus on high-reliability solutions.

Get involved with ImPower

Prepare to Apply

 

  • There are three critical commitments to successfully participate in ImPower. Discuss these commitments listed below with key decision makers.
    • An organizational sponsor and a clinical leader to provide resources, support change management efforts, and protect staff time to complete project work.
    • An individual with quality improvement experience, or interest in learning quality improvement, to serve as the quality improvement coach and support the project team in the application of quality improvement concepts and tools.
    • The capability to perform manual audits and report data throughout ImPower.
  • Download the application in advance of submitting it online, so that you can review and collaborate as needed with organizational leadership on your responses.
  • Be aware of the required fees: organizations can bring a single project through one of the ImPower improvement collaboratives for a fee of $6,000. Every third project will be discounted at a rate of $3,000.

Join the Next Cohort

 

Once your application is submitted, a member of the Learning Network team will reach out to the applicant with next steps.

 

Complete the online application today! Once your application is submitted, a member of the ACR Learning Network team will reach out to the individual listed as the primary contact in the application to coordinate the next steps.

 

Have questions about the application? Submit a ticket to the ACR Learning Network team.

 

Apply now

ImPower In Practice

ImPower delivers department-wide benefits above and beyond other approaches to quality improvement. You gain robust support and a structured curriculum to guide your team through quality improvement in the areas that matter most to you.
After completing your ImPower project, your organization can leverage the ImPower methodology and your staff’s QI skills to tackle other institutional challenges.

  • ImPower Cohort 1 Retro

    The first wave of ImPower participants blazed a trail for every team that’s followed in their footsteps — and had plenty to say about it.

    Learn all about it

  • ImPower Cohort 2 Retro

    The second ImPower cohort solidified best practices and helped the Learning Network build momentum.

    Read their record

  • Structure and Sustainability

    This webinar captures the voices and experiences of the first groups of ImPower participants.

    Watch the recording

  • Following Follow-Ups

    This case study rides along with Hudson Valley Radiology as they implement the follow-up improvement system they designed through their work with the Learning Network.

    Learn more

  • Improving Prostate MR Image Quality in Practice

    Initial results from the ACR Prostate MR Image Quality Improvement Collaborative

    Read the results in JACR

  • The ACR Mammography Positioning Improvement Collaborative

    A multicenter improvement program within a Learning Network framework

    Read the results in JACR

Vendor Partners

ACR Learning Network Vendor Partners offer software tools and solutions relevant to projects of facility teams in ACR's ImPower program, and are willing to participate in ImPower alongside their facility clients to support facility needs. 

Learn more

You Asked. We Answered.

Get the inside information on the Learning Network with answers to the most frequently asked questions.

There are three critical commitments to successfully participate in ImPower. Make sure to discuss these commitments with key decision makers.

  • An organizational sponsor and a clinical leader to provide resources, support change management efforts and protect staff time to complete project work.
  • An individual with quality improvement experience, or interest in learning quality improvement, to serve as the quality improvement coach and support the project team in the application of quality improvement concepts and tools.
  • The capability to perform manual audits and report data throughout ImPower.

Then, download your application so that you can review and collaborate with organizational leadership on your responses.

Organizations can bring a single project through one of the ImPower improvement collaboratives for a fee of $6,000.

Every third project will be discounted at a rate of $3,000.

Learning Network Performance Improvement

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

  1. Recognize how the topic of your Learning Network collaborative contributes to the outcomes of patients at risk for cancer.
  2. Explain how to use quality improvement tools to identify problem area(s) and target area(s) for improvement in your cancer screening and imaging practices related to the topic of your collaborative.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to conduct intervention(s) and implement improvement(s) in your cancer screening and imaging practices.

  4. Evaluate results to form a plan for either long-term sustainability of improved outcomes or new tactics to achieve improved outcomes.

     

ImPower Program

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

  1. Outline structured problem solving using A3 thinking.
  2. Describe how to use a variety of tools to understand data and variation.
  3. Recognize high reliability solutions and processes.
  4. Explain how to sustain results after closing an improvement project.

There are three stages to an accredited PI-CME activity, as outlined below. Credit may be claimed after completion of Stage C. Each participant may receive up to a maximum of 20 credits per project.

Stage A: Baseline data review (5 credits)
Stage B: Educational intervention (5 credits)
Stage C: Post-intervention data review (10 credits)

  1. To successfully complete the activity, the site must complete and submit all required project documentation including Team Roster, Project Charter, A3, Sustain Plan, and Graduation Presentation and claim credit commensurate with their participation in the activity.
  2. To claim credit for the activity, participants must contribute significantly to the project and be able to describe their role related to each stage as described in the credit-claiming instructions above. The participant must be named on the Team Roster at the start of the project.
  3. Participants must opt in to receive credit by completing a survey by ImPower Program Session 1 which will be provided with the program materials.
  4. After graduation presentations and upon receipt of all completed project documentation, project participants named on the Team Roster and who have opted in for CE will receive credit claiming instructions via email. All evaluations and credit claims must be completed within three months of graduation.

Physicians/Other

  1. In order to successfully complete the activity, participants must virtually attend the live sessions, complete all preparation activities and the course evaluation, and claim credit commensurate with their participation in the activity.
  2. Partial credit is allowed based on the number of live sessions attended.
  3. Participants must opt in to receive credit by completing a survey by Session 1 which will be provided with the program materials.
  4. Credit claiming instructions will be sent via email following Session 9. All evaluations and credit claims must be completed within 3 months of Session 9.

Technologists

  1. Radiologic Technologists and Radiation Therapists must attend the entire live session and complete the session evaluation in order to claim credit for the activity. No partial credit will be given.
  2. Participants must opt in to receive credit by completing a survey by Session 1 which will be provided with the program materials.
  3. Credit claiming instructions will be sent via email within a week following each live session activity. All evaluations and credit claims must be completed within 3 months of the live session.

Physicians are eligible to be awarded up to 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. The AMA defines physicians as those individuals who have obtained an MD, DO or equivalent medical degree from another country.

 

All other participants in this PI-CME activity may receive a Certificate of Participation that documents participation in an activity designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. For the purposes of recertification, other certification boards may award equivalent Continuing Education (CE) credit when presented with a Certificate of Participation from an activity that was designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ACR suggests that learners check with their licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

The following are key factors for successful participation in an improvement collaborative. Successful organizations have:

  • Department leaders who are supportive of and willing to manage change.
  • A team of engaged front-line staff and leaders to participate in the program and do project work.
  • An improvement coach with quality improvement experience.
  • An organizational sponsor to provide time and resources for the project.
  • The capability to track and report data about improvement progress on a weekly basis and to perform manual image audits or report reviews as needed.
  • A desire to join a community committed to improving and collaborating to create the best experience for your staff and patients.

Physician Accreditation Statement
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

 

Physician Designation Statement
The American College of Radiology (ACR) designates this Performance Improvement CME activity for a maximum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

 

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact the ACR to the ACR Learning Network Help Desk. 

 

Activity Start Date: 1/14/2025
Activity End Date: 8/13/2025 

 

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
The American College of Radiology (ACR) adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. All persons in a position to control the content of an accredited continuing education program provided by ACR are required to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company within the past 24 months. All financial relationships reported are identified as relevant and mitigated by ACR in accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. The content of this activity was vetted by ACR to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated by ACR.

 

The following planners and managers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose: Judy Burleson; Mythreyi Chatfield; Katherine Hall; Lisa Gunderman

 

The following faculty have no relevant financial relationships to disclose: Kandice Garcia Tompkins, MS, RN; David B. Larson, MD, MBA; Valerie Rigby, BSN; Kay Zacharias-Andrews; Tamika Perkins; Kyle McCowin; Daisha Marsh, BS, RT(R)(CT)
 

Physician Accreditation Statement
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Designation Statement
The American College of Radiology (ACR) designates this other (blend of live and enduring) activity for a maximum of 18.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Technologist Accreditation Statement
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is approved by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) as a Recognized Continuing Education Evaluation Mechanism (RCEEM) to sponsor and/or review Continuing Education programs for Radiologic Technologists and Radiation Therapists.

Technologist Credit Designation Statement
The American College of Radiology designates this educational activity as meeting the criteria for up to 1.5 Category A credit hours of the ARRT per live session for up to a total of 14 Category A credit hours of the ARRT.

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact the ACR by submitting a ticket to the ACR Learning Network Help Desk.

Activity Start Date: 3/12/2025
Activity End Date: 7/16/2025

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

The American College of Radiology (ACR) adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. All persons in a position to control the content of an accredited continuing education program provided by ACR are required to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company within the past 24 months. All financial relationships reported are identified as relevant and mitigated by ACR in accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. The content of this activity was vetted by ACR to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated by ACR.

The following planners and managers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose: Judy Burleson; Mythreyi Chatfield; Katherine Hall; Lisa Gunderman; Rishea Middlebrooks; Neville Irani, MD; Sarah Pittman, MD; Andrei Purysko, MD; Ben Wandtke, MD

The following faculty have no relevant financial relationships to disclose: Kandice Garcia Tompkins, MS, RN; David B. Larson, MD, MBA; Valerie Rigby, BSN; Kay Zacharias-Andrews; Tamika Perkins; Kyle McCowin; Daisha Marsh, BS, RT(R)(CT)

 

Role Name
 
 		 Role Responsibilities
 
 		 Approximate Time Requirement
 
 Project Sponsor The person in department leadership who is highly motivated to complete this project and can provide the resources to get it done.
 
  As needed.
 
 
 Physician Leader  Project team member to lead clinical decision making and ensure continuity with physician team. Two to three hours per week.
 Improvement Coach
 
 QI professional who supports the team in the application of program concepts and tools. One coach can be assigned up to two project teams.
 
 One day per week per project. 
 Team Leader
 
  Project team member with a leadership role or leadership potential to manage the project team.
 
 Three to five hours per week. 
 Team Member
 
  Front-line staff that represent the process you are trying to improve. Two to four members per team. Two to four hours per week.

Link Up With the Learning Network

We’re here to help your team succeed. Please reach out with any questions to the ACR Learning Network team.

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