ACR resources can help radiology meet CT lung cancer screening demand

Reston, Va. (Nov. 12, 2014) — American College of Radiology (ACR) resources can help radiology professionals safely and effectively provide, and receive payment for CT lung cancer screening. Demand for this care will grow quickly now that Medicare has proposed to cover high-risk seniors for these lifesaving exams.

ACR to Offer Lung Cancer Screening Registry

The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Clinical Practice Registry will be available in spring 2015. It will calculate audit measures and provide comparisons and benchmarks to practicing radiologists. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will release data registry specifications by Dec. 31, 2014. This will allow practices to start collecting and monitoring the appropriate data elements in early 2015. ACR will update members on this in the coming weeks.

ACR 2015™ CT Lung Cancer Screening Resources

ACR 2015, the College’s first all-member, all-radiology meeting, will offer important sessions to help radiology professionals as they consider offering CT lung cancer screening:

• Lung Cancer Screening: From Science to Practice
• Lung Cancer Screening: CT Interpretation and Management
• Lung Cancer Screening: Implementations and Economic Considerations for a Screening Program

CT Lung Cancer Screening Quality and Safety Offerings

The College, together with the Society of Thoracic Radiology, created CT lung cancer screening practice parameters for the performance of these exams.

The ACR Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS™) is designed to standardize lung cancer screening CT reporting and management recommendations, assist in lung cancer screening CT interpretations and facilitate outcome monitoring.

The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center program recognizes facilities committed to providing quality screening care to patients at the highest risk for lung cancer. ACR advises patients to seek out these centers to receive screening.

The College has created a special lung cancer screening section on ACR.org. Radiology professionals are encouraged to visit this web section often to check for updates.

“New Medicare coverage of CT lung cancer screening will require radiologists wishing to offer these exams to undergo additional training and preparation. The ACR stands ready to help every step of the way. These programs help ensure that providers offer this screening in a safe, effective manner and comply with Medicare reimbursement requirements,” said Ella Kazerooni, MD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Lung Cancer ScreeningCommittee and American College of Radiology Thoracic Imaging Panel.

To learn more about the ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center program and Lung-RADS, visit the ACR Lung Cancer Screening resources page at http://bit.ly/1xmyBIE.

To learn more about ACR 2015, May 17–21, 2015, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC, visit acr.org/acr2015.