Newswise — Washington, DC — Internists certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) can now earn Practice Assessment Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit and optimize medical imaging care by participating in the American College of Radiology (ACR) Radiology Support, Communication and Alignment Network™ (R-SCAN) program.
Through R-SCAN, internists collaborate with radiologists to select a topic from the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® campaign for which there is potential to reduce unwarranted imaging and promote important discussions between clinicians and patients about what care is appropriate. Clinicians also work together to implement an educational program, including materials offering continuing medical education (CME) credits, to determine if an imaging exam is needed and, if so, to select the appropriate exam.
“By collaborating with the American Board of Internal Medicine, we strengthen the team-based patient care approach between radiologists and internists, leading medicine in making significant change that positively impacts patients and promotes evidence-based and cost-efficient care,” said William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, FACR, ACR chief executive officer (CEO).
The R-SCAN activity is approved by ABIM’s Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Program, allowing ABIM board-certified physicians to earn 20 Practice Assessment MOC points and Patient Safety MOC credit to improve the quality of patient care in their practice while working collaboratively with radiologists. The activity will be listed on the ABIM website under the Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Program activities.
Participants gain online access to the ACR Select™ clinical decision support tool, the Web-based version of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria®. In R-SCAN, ACR Select is used to evaluate the ordering of imaging exams before and after the educational program. Resulting project reports quantify improvements. The How-to Guide on the R-SCAN website provides more detail.
“R-SCAN promotes collaboration between internists and radiologists about which tests and procedures are appropriate and encourages important discussions with both colleagues and patients about why some tests might not be warranted,” said Richard J. Baron, MD, president and CEO of ABIM. "It is important that physicians receive credit for the work they do to improve the care they provide through R-SCAN, and we are working to enable physicians to seamlessly earn MOC points for even more quality improvement activities,” he added.
R-SCAN is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative for its second year. Nearly 3,000 radiologists and 5,000 referring doctors have pledged or registered to engage in the program to date. Visit R-SCAN’s website to learn more about the program.
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About the American College of RadiologyThe American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care. ACR has more than 37,000 members, with 54 state chapters, representing all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada and the Council of Affiliated Regional Radiation Oncology Societies. Follow ACR on Facebook and Twitter.
About the American Board of Internal MedicineFor 80 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 20 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated — to their peers and to the public — that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter.
To arrange an interview with any ACR member, please contact Shawn Farley at 703-648-8936, Maryann Verrillo at 703-390-9822 or email [email protected].
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