American College of Radiology
  • RTOG Reports Recent Cancer Trial Results in 22 Presentations at ASTRO
    ACR Daily News Scan
    Radiation Therapy Oncology Groups (RTOG) investigators will report recent results from the group’s research during 22 presentations at the at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) 50th Annual Meeting in Boston, Sept. 21–25, 2008. RTOG, a National Cancer Institute funded national clinical trials group, is a clinical research component of the American College of Radiology.
  • House Panel Ponders Future of Physician Payments in Medicare
    ACR Daily News Scan
    The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Sept. 11 titled “Reforming Medicare’s Physician Payment System” with the goal of re-examining the way physicians are paid under Medicare.
  • The ACR Comments on 2009 CMS Proposed Changes to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and HOPPS
    ACR Daily News Scan
    The American College of Radiology (ACR) recently submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) for 2009.
  • Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging and Imaging Manufacturers Agree to Collaborate to Standardize Methods to Measure, Report Pediatric Dose from CT Scans
    ACR News Release
    Representatives from leading medical imaging equipment manufacturers recently met with radiologist, medical physicist and radiologic technologist representatives from the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging and agreed to work with the Alliance to create standardized radiation dose estimates and vendor sponsored technologist education opportunities.
  • UnitedHealthcare Extends Required Imaging Accreditation Deadline to Fourth Quarter 2009
    ACR News Release
    UnitedHealthcare will now require all out-patient medical imaging providers to have completed and submitted an application to obtain accreditation from ACR or another accrediting body deemed appropriate by UnitedHealthcare, by the fourth quarter of 2009 in order to receive reimbursement for CT, MRI, PET, nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology and echocardiography services.
  • Today on the ACR Blog: Group Practice Leaders Committee
    The ACR Board of Chancellors recently formed the Group Practice Leaders Committee. How can the ACR help facilitate leadership challenges both for the College and Radiology Practices?
  • Summer ACR International Service Newsletter Now Available
    The summer 2008 edition of the ACR International Volunteer System (ACRIVS) quarterly e-newsletter Interlink is now available with the latest news regarding how radiologists are getting involved in international service. ACRIVS is an exciting program created to promote the activities and volunteer efforts of ACR members abroad and facilitate the exchange of ideas, materials, equipment, services, and financial support.
  • HHS Proposes Adoption of ICD-10 Code Sets and Updated Electronic Transaction Standards
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the proposed rule that would replace the current ICD-9 code sets, which is used to report health care diagnoses with the new ICD-10 code sets that is expanded to enable quality reporting, pay-for-performance, bio-surveillance and other critical activities. The new ICD-10 code sets will be implemented effective October 1, 2011. HHS also announced the proposed rule to update the X12 standard by adopting version 5010 for electronic transactions to accommodate the use of ICD-10 codes.
  • ACR, SBI Release Breast Imaging Training Curriculum
    ACR News
    The breast imaging training curriculum has been designed principally to provide guidance to academic chairs, residency program directors, and academic section chiefs in assessing and improving their residency and fellowship training programs, and to indicate to residents and breast imaging fellows the topics they need to learn and the experience they should try to acquire during their training.





  • Summary of Provisions in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 Which Directly Affect Radiology
    ACR Daily News Scan
    Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) repeals a statutorily mandated 10.6 percent physician payment cut, which became effective July 1, as well as an additional 5 percent cut set for Jan. 1, 2009, and instead extends the current payment rate for the rest of 2008 and a 1.1 percent update through 2009.

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  • PET Scans Often Lead to Treatment Changes for Recurrent Colorectal Cancer
    Reuters Health
    Positron emission tomography (PET) scans revealed additional sites of disease in nearly half of patients with possible recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC), and additional information provided by these scans led to changes in planned treatment for a majority of the patients, according to a study by Australian researchers.
  • Many Colon Cancer Patients Skip Follow-up Care
    Reuters Health
    The results of new research indicate that many older patients who survive colorectal cancer do not attend the guideline-recommended follow-up office visits or undergo carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) testing and colonoscopy.
  • Asymptomatic Meniscal Tears Common in Older Adults
    Reuters Health
    Damage to the meniscus is a common observation on knee MRIs among middle aged and elderly persons, irrespective of knee symptoms, investigators report in the New England Journal of Medicine for September 11.
  • Diagnostic Radiation Doses High in Trauma Patients
    Reuters Health
    Adult trauma patients are exposed to significant amounts of radiation from diagnostic radiographic imaging, according to findings published in the August issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
  • Radiation Exposure Increased in Some Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients
    Reuters Health
    On average, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receive an annual dose of diagnostic radiation that is comparable to the dose of naturally occurring radiation to which most Americans and Europeans are exposed, new research suggests.
  • Routine MRI at Breast Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Treatment Delays
    Reuters Health
    Among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation does not clarify tumor margins or improve selection for breast conserving therapy (BCT), and it appears to delay treatment, researchers reported in Washington, DC, at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Breast Cancer Symposium.
  • Prostate Irradiation Raises Long-Term Risk of Colon Cancer
    Reuters Health
    Data from the Geneva Cancer Registry show an increased long-term risk of colon cancer after external radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
  • Surveillance Guidelines May Miss Early Cancer in IBD Patients
    Reuters Health
    The diagnosis of colorectal cancer will be delayed or missed in a substantial number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) if colonoscopic surveillance is conducted strictly according to official guidelines, investigators in the Netherlands report.
  • Breast Cancer Care Faulted in Community Hospitals
    Reuters Health
    Women who have advanced breast cancer treated in a local community hospital appear to have a lower long-term survival rate than their counterparts treated at academic medical centers, a new study indicates.
  • Image Gently™ Campaign Gains International Momentum
    Reuters Health
    The American College of Radiology (ACR) is proud to be a founding member of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, the organization that launched the Image Gently™ campaign to reduce radiation dose used in pediatric imaging. The campaign has had a positive impact on medical practice and is growing exponentially as it attracts national and international attention and participation.

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  • Thirty Senators to Finance Committee: No More Imaging Cuts
    ACR News Release
    Thirty Senators penned a letter November 1 to Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) stating their opposition to further cuts to medical imaging as the Committee continues to craft its version of Medicare legislation this fall.



  • Imaging Under Attack - Resources to Counter DRA Imaging Cuts
    Please visit this special Web section for the latest news regarding government efforts to reduce medical imaging reimbursement and ACR efforts to counter these cuts which would restrict patient access to critical medical imaging care.
  • ACR Backs Senate Bill to Protect Seniors' Access to Imaging Care
    ACR Daily News Scan
    The American College of Radiology (ACR) strongly urges all members of the U.S. Senate to vote for passage of the Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007 (S. 1338), the bipartisan legislation calling for a two-year moratorium on drastic medical imaging reimbursement cuts included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005...

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