Recommendations Follow-Up Improvement Collaborative

American College of Radiology Recommendations for Follow-Up Improvement CollaborativeUp to 10% of all radiology reports contain follow-up recommendations, and approximately half of the recommended follow-up exams are never performed. Lung nodules represent about half of all imaging follow-up recommendations, and noncompliance with radiology lung nodule follow-up places patients at risk for delayed diagnosis of lung cancer.

The Recommendations Follow-Up Improvement Collaborative seeks to improve the early detection of lung cancer for incidentally detected pulmonary nodules.

Improvement collaborative participation supports site teams with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their follow-up tracking processes to improve patient outcomes, decrease the risk of missed cancers, generate a return on investment, and reduce malpractice risk for institutions and providers.

Problem Statement


Radiologists’ recommended follow-up for patients identified as having an incidental lung nodule is not being adequately completed within the identified time frame, putting patients at risk for delayed diagnosis.

How the Collaborative Works


Each collaborative site forms an interdisciplinary team of four to six members who participate in the ACR® ImPower Program with shared learning, alongside a cohort of colleagues from four to six institutions, identifying ways to ensure the follow-up of appropriate recommendations for incidental lung nodules occurs to improve the early detection of lung cancer.

Suggested project team members:

  • Radiologist.
  • Patient care coordinator.
  • Primary care physician/team.
  • Radiology manager.
  • Radiology scheduler.

How to participate

Leadership and Advisory Committee


Collaborative Leader 

 

Advisory Committee 

Ben Wandtke, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester
 
  • Tyler Prout, MD
  • Kristin Hans, RN
  • Christopher Moore, MD
  • Woojin Kim, MD
  • Stella Kang, MD
  • Terri Ann DiJulio
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    ACR Learning Network Participating Organizations

       

    Cohort 1 Sites

    • Hudson Valley Radiologists, PC, Poughkeepsie, NY
    • Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
    • Einstein Healthcare Network, Now part of Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, PA
    • Radiology Partners, Austin, TX

    Cohort 2 Sites

    • AdventHealth Central Florida Division, Orlando, FL
    • Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
    • Riverside Healthcare, Kankakee, IL