June 26 marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and a celebration of nine decades of work by ACR members, leadership and staff to make medicine better by advancing the science of radiology, educating radiology professionals, positively influencing health care policy and improving quality of care.
”During the 1923 American Medical Association annual meeting, 21 radiologists met to organize the ACR. Ninety years later, through the work of thousands of volunteers and staff, the ACR has grown into one of the world’s largest medical specialty associations — helping radiologists, radiation oncologists and medical physicists provide better patient care, not only in the United States, but around the world,” said Paul H. Ellenbogen, M.D., FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors. “As health care evolves, the ACR will serve a vital role in shaping the future of medicine and making future health care better. We are very proud of the work that the College has done to date and look forward to meeting the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.”
In the nine decades since its founding, the ACR has created and facilitated landmark initiatives that make medicine safer, more efficient and equip physicians, medical physicists, and allied professionals with the evidence-based, scientific information and thought leadership to improve quality of care. These steps include:
· ACR Accreditation — With programs dating back to the 1960s, the College has accredited more than 35,000 imaging and radiation oncology facilities nationwide and is the only nongovernmental accreditation program recognized under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA).
· ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards — These peer-reviewed and created documents promote the safe and effective use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology by describing specific training, skills and techniques to provide for uniform, high quality care.
· ACR Continuing Medical Education — A comprehensive array of educational options arms radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicist and allied professionals with the latest evidence based skills and knowledge. The American Institute for Radiologic Pathology; ACR Education Center and ACR Radiology Leadership Institute make better providers and better leaders, enabling better patient care.
· ACR Clinical Research — The ACR Clinical Research Center conducts and coordinates ground-breaking clinical trials that advance the practice of medicine, set new standards of care and ultimately save lives.
· ACR Advocacy — The ACR champions important economic and health policies that benefit Americans. The ACR also makes possible health care economic research, via the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute that helps policymakers make efficient use of resources and ensure access to high quality care.
“For 90 years, the ACR has been a driving force behind, or helped nurture and advance, many of the technological, quality and safety, and education leaps that have moved medicine forward and enabled better patient care. The College is committed to serving its members, medicine and society to help ensure that patients get the best care possible. We celebrate the achievements of the past and look forward to making future health care better for many decades to come,” said Harvey L. Neiman, M.D., FACR, chief executive officer of the American College of Radiology.
For more information: www.acr.org