ACR revises, expands appropriateness criteria
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has updated and revised its appropriateness guidelines. The latest edition of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria includes one new and nine revised topics and covers more than 200 unique topics. Each one has a narrative, evidence table and literature search summary.
The latest edition added guidelines for post-therapy imaging for lower extremity arterial revascularization and has revised the guidelines for chronic ankle pain, first trimester vaginal bleeding, headaches in children, orbits, vision and visual loss, pretreatment staging of muscle invasive bladder cancer, post-treatment follow up of prostate cancer, traumatic shoulder pain, soft tissue masses and radiologic management of uterine leiomyomas.
“ACR appropriateness criteria are created and continually updated by multispecialty teams and widely accepted across the medical field as a national standard,” Frank J. Rybicki, MD, PhD, chair of the ACR Committee on Appropriateness Criteria, said in the announcement. “Use of these evidence-based guidelines helps ensure that patients get the right care for their condition and avoid unnecessary care.”
The ACR noted its guidelines are specified appropriate use criteria under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act and are developed by expert panels of radiologists and other doctors from relevant medical specialties.
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.