First Annual ACR Imaging Informatics Summit and Dose Monitoring Forum to be held from Nov. 3-4

Top radiology and policy experts will offer solutions to critical imaging informatics and radiation dose challenges at the First Annual ACR Imaging Informatics Summit and Dose Monitoring Forum. Radiologists, medical physicists, practice leaders and vendors are all encouraged to attend the two-day event being held Nov. 3-4 at the Washington Hilton.

"With future Medicare reimbursement tied to "meaningful use" of imaging informatics, providers need to be prepared to face this shifting political, economic and technological environment. The ACR is proud to bring radiology and informatics together, preparing providers for the challenges and opportunities that imaging informatics presents," said Keith Dreyer, MD, PhD, co-chair of the ACR IT and Informatics Committee.

The Annual Imaging Informatics Summit, Thursday, Nov. 3, will bring together policy makers, vendors, consumers and providers to:

1. Share perspectives on key imaging IT policy issues
2. Understand the current challenges and options for implementing solutions
3. Outline the future state necessary for successful adoption and realization of desired outcomes
4. Find common ground and reach common expectations with a rapidly evolving technology landscape
5. Address practice effects and reimbursement issues associated with "meaningful use" and other imaging informatics

The Dose Monitoring Forum, Friday, Nov. 4, will provide practice leaders, radiologists and medical physicists a full picture of how a facility can:

1. Proactively monitor dose indices
2. Compare itself to benchmarks
3. Understand the challenges and limitations of available data
4. Identify protocols that may be improved
5. Communicate dose information, relative risks and benefits to patients and referring physicians

"Dose monitoring tools like the ACR Dose Index Registry make it possible for imaging providers to monitor and lower the radiation dose administered to patients. However, it is crucial that all radiology providers and policy makers know how to understand dose data and put it to practical use. The forum offers this opportunity," said Richard L. Morin, PhD, chair of the ACR Dose Index Registry Committee and ACR Safety Committee.