The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1923, is a professional medical society representing nearly 40,000 diagnostic

radiologists Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

, radiation

oncologists Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine

physicians A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and medical

physicists A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

. The ACR has 54 chapters in the United States, Canada and the Council of Affiliated Regional Radiation Oncology Societies (CARROS).

Medical imaging accreditation

The ACR has accredited more than 39,000 medical imaging facilities in 10 imaging modalities since 1987, including: * Breast MRI * Breast

Ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequency, frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing range, hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hea ...

* Computed Tomography *

Mammography Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

Nuclear Medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...

* Positron Emission Tomography *

Radiation Oncology Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

Practice * Stereotactic Breast

Biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a diseas ...

ACR Appropriateness Criteria

The ACR Appropriateness Criteria (ACR AC) are evidence-based guidelines that assist referring physicians and other providers in making the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision for a specific clinical condition. The ACR AC includes 178 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics with 912 clinical variants and over 1,550 clinical scenarios. ACR AC are available to all physicians via ACR Select, a module contained withi
CareSelect Imaging
In creating the ACR AC, the ACR Task Force on Appropriateness Criteria incorporated attributes for developing acceptable medical practice guidelines used by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as designed by the Institute of Medicine.

Data registries

The ACR National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR) develops benchmarks and comparisons to help imaging facilities improve quality of patient care with its collection of registries related to a range of

radiological In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visib ...

procedures. The registries include: *

CT Colonography Virtual colonoscopy (VC, also called CT colonography or CT pneumocolon) is the use of CT scanning or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce two- and three-dimensional images of the colon (large intestine), from the lowest part, the rectum, ...

(CTC) Registry * Dose Index Registry (DIR) * Interventional Radiology (IR) Registry * General Radiology Improvement Database (GRID) * Lung Cancer Screening Registry (LCSR) * National

Database (NMD) NRDR was approved as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for 2018 MIPS Reporting.

Specialized medical education

* ACR Education Center – located in

Reston, VA Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movem ...

, offers specialized mini-fellowships in more than a dozen clinical areas. * American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) – The AIRP conducts five courses for radiology residents and fellows, and seven categorical courses for practicing radiologists and other physicians each year in

Silver Spring, MD Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 cens ...

. * Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI) – The RLI offers leadership and business management training specifically for radiologists.

Publications

*''The Journal of the American College of Radiology'' (JACR) – The official journal of ACR. *''ACR Bulletin'' – a monthly publication covering topics on radiology.

Collaborations

The ACR provides patient information through the website Radiologyinfo.org, co-produced by the

Radiological Society of North America The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is a non-profit organization and an international society of radiologists, medical physicists and other medical imaging professionals representing 31 radiologic subspecialties from 145 countries a ...

, to help patients understand how various radiology procedures and radiation therapy are performed.

Imaging 3.0

ACR's Imaging 3.0 initiative is a roadmap to transition the practice of radiology from volume-based to value-based care. Four main focus areas of Imaging 3.0 include; * Integrated service environment – Integrating radiologists in the patient care continuum i. * New healthcare organizations – Participate in the design, maintenance, and management of these new health care organizations, such as PCMHs, ACOs, and those yet to be formed. * Patient-focused care – Ensure patients understand their options regarding medical imaging, offer radiology reports in terms, and provide basic education on imaging exams and preparation for them. * A network of tools and services – Expert advice from leading radiology, technology, and business consultants.

References

{{authority control Medical associations based in the United States Radiology organizations Medical and health organizations based in Virginia Organizations established in 1923 1923 establishments in the United States

External links

Official website
American College of Radiology