The future quality and safety of medical imaging: proceedings of the third annual ACR FORUM.

The ACR annually engages in a long-range planning activity called the FORUM on a specific issue deemed important to the specialty of radiology over a horizon of 5 to 10 years. The FORUM brings together experts from multiple disciplines to discuss the topic, develop scenarios, and make recommendations to the ACR and the specialty on what courses to take to improve the development of radiology. The Third Annual FORUM, held May 21 to 23, 2003, was on the subject of improving quality and safety. The sessions ended with numerous recommendations as to how the specialty of radiology could promote safer, higher quality imaging that would also engage the interest and participation of the public, employers, insurers, and government. These fell into the following categories: (1) how to measure the performance of radiologists, (2) how to use measurements of performance to improve quality and safety, (3) means of working with employers and insurers to improve care and reduce waste, (4) the development of new ACR programs intended to foster change, and (5) disseminating information about ACR efforts on behalf of improving quality and safety.