December 29, 2017 — Radiologists can enhance the quality and effectiveness of care with the newest release of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria. The latest edition covers 233 unique topics – including 61 radiation oncology topics and 176 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics, with 883 clinical variants covering 1,570 clinical scenarios.
This update from the American College of Radiology (ACR) includes one new and nine revised topics. Each topic has a narrative, an evidence table and a literature search summary.
“ACR appropriateness criteria are created and continually updated by multispecialty teams and widely accepted across the medical field as a national standard. Use of these evidence-based guidelines helps ensure that patients get the right care for their condition and avoid unnecessary care,” said Frank J. Rybicki, M.D., Ph.D., FACR, chair of the ACR Committee on Appropriateness Criteria.
The new topic is:
Recently revised topics include:
- Chronic Ankle Pain
- First Trimester Vaginal Bleeding
- Headache-Child
- Orbits, Vision, and Visual Loss
- Pretreatment Staging of Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
- Post-Treatment Follow-up of Prostate Cancer
- Shoulder Pain – Traumatic
- Soft Tissue Masses
- Radiologic Management of Uterine Leiomyomas (IR)
The guidelines are specified appropriate use criteria (AUC) under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). They are developed by expert panels of radiologists and other doctors from relevant medical specialties.
The ACR is designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a qualified Provider-Led Entity. Medical providers may consult the ACR Appropriateness Criteria to fulfill PAMA requirements that they consult AUC prior to ordering advanced diagnostic imaging for Medicare patients.
For more information: www.acr.org
March 31, 2026 
