NQMC Update Service: March 14, 2016 || American College of Radiology

NQMC Update Service: March 14, 2016

American College of Radiology

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of CT and cardiac nuclear medicine (myocardial perfusion studies) imaging reports for all patients, regardless of age, that document a count of known previous CT and cardiac nuclear medicine studies that the patient has received in the 12-month period prior to the current study.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of CT imaging reports for all patients, regardless of age, with the imaging study named according to a standardized nomenclature and the standardized nomenclature is used in institution's computer systems.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of final reports for CT imaging studies of the thorax for patients aged 18 years and older with documented follow-up recommendations for incidentally detected pulmonary nodules based at a minimum on nodule size and patient risk factors.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of final reports for CT studies performed for all patients, regardless of age, which document that Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format image data are available to non-affiliated external healthcare facilities or entities on a secure, media free, reciprocally searchable basis with patient authorization for at least a 12-month period after the study.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of final reports of CT studies performed for all patients, regardless of age, which document that a search for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format images was conducted for prior patient CT imaging studies completed at non-affiliated external entities within the past 12-months and are available through a secure, authorized, media-free, shared archive prior to an imaging study being performed.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of pediatric CT imaging studies for patients aged 17 years and younger performed with equipment that has complied with a CT equipment evaluation protocol at least once within the 12-month period prior to the exam.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of pediatric CT imaging studies for patients aged 17 years and younger performed with individualized equipment evaluation protocols that comply with a widely used guideline.

• Optimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation: percentage of total CT studies performed for all patients, regardless of age, that are reported to a radiation dose index registry and that include at a minimum selected data elements.