As the healthcare industry moves toward a value-based reimbursement model, providers are increasingly tasked to do more with less. For all providers, this means meeting demands for increasingly sophisticated care on smaller budgets and employing population health and care coordination strategies to more effectively care for patients while limiting the number of resources used. In radiology, it also means imaging more accurately while limiting patients' exposure to radiation and contrast medium.
The American College of Radiology's Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines covering all medical imaging procedures to help providers choose the most appropriate procedure for their patient. The guidelines aim to reduce the number of unnecessary imaging procedures performed on a patient, and thereby the amount of radiation to which the patient is exposed.
In July 2012, these guidelines were digitized by the National Decision Support Co. into e-book format and are now able to be integrated into an electronic health record system. The goal of the ACR Select is to make the guidelines readily available at the point of order, during scheduling and anywhere else during the care process where the guidelines could be helpful, says Robert Cooke, vice president of marketing at NDSC.
The guidelines work like clinical decision support software: "It checks the clinical reasoning for a test and gives the option to reduce the radiation," says Mr. Cooke. "The guidance is presented directly, and all of the information on the decision that was made goes back into the EHR."
ACR Select's first EHR integration went live in February 2013, and since then the company has seen a significant level of adoption from providers throughout the country. At the Radiological Society of North America's 99th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting Dec. 1 to Dec. 6 in Chicago, NDSC was offering a free trial of ACR Select to attendees. "Our goal is the national adoption of these standards," says Mr. Cooke.
At RSNA, many vendors were also offering products redesigned to minimize patients' exposure to radiation and contrast medium while producing clear, actionable images. The SOMATOM Force, debuted by Siemens, is designed to perform CT imaging with lower doses of radiation and contrast imaging, better for all patients but particularly ideal for pediatric patients or patients with renal insufficiency.
Similarly, Fujifilm introduced the Amulet Innovality for the non-US markets, a new digital mammography system that combines high-resolution imaging with the ability to conduct digital breast tomosynthesis studies. The system also allows for a 40 degree image sweep allowing more to be seen per image. The Amulet Innovality will be known as the ASPIRE Cristalle in the United States. The ASPIRE Cristalle, without digital breast tomosynthesis functionality, will be made commercially available in the United States upon receipt of FDA clearance.
All attendees at RSNA were also offered the opportunity to take the "Image Wisely" pledge, promising to adhere to ACR guidelines on radiation safety for all patients. Many attendees sported the purple ribbon below their name badges throughout the event, showing both increasing awareness and support for radiation reduction among the country's imaging professionals.
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