Page 43 - 2022 Risk Basics - Radiology

SVMIC Risk Basics: Radiology

defendant radiologist in the unenviable position of sounding like Captain

Barbossa from the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, referencing the pirate
.
code, “the code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules”
17

Therefore, it is important that all radiologists be familiar with and, to the

extent practical, conform at all times to the ACR Practice Parameter for
Communication of Diagnostic Imaging Findings. Certainly, if a radiologist’s

action or inaction fails to comply, he or she should have a plausible
explanation – plausible from a jury’s perspective, that is.

The ACR Practice Parameter for Communication of Diagnostic Imaging
Findings may be found at this link https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/

Files/Practice-Parameters/CommunicationDiag.pdf.
18

While SVMIC’s risk advice and the standards set forth by the ACR
may seem challenging for the “real-world” practitioner, radiologists

must become more comfortable communicating directly to other
healthcare providers and patients when there is an unexpected

finding. Documentation of the conversation should follow. Moreover, a
conversation with a referring provider helps maintain a good relationship

with that referring provider and can also provide the radiologist with
additional diagnostic information. It’s better to spend a few minutes

contacting a referring provider than spend anxious days and weeks
preparing for litigation.

17 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Walt Disney Pictures 2003).
18 https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/CommunicationDiag.pdf

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