Ensuring Quality and Patient Safety
Medical imaging is widely acclaimed as a hallmark of modern medicine by physician specialty groups, independent organizations, and peer-reviewed journals. Medical experts caution that, without imaging to guide diagnosis and treatment, patient safety would be compromised and quality of care diminished.
Research!America – an alliance of organizations supporting medical research-praises medical imaging for saving lives and health costs. See Research!America issue brief
Prominent medical societies and government bodies incorporate imaging into practice and consensus guidelines, as well as quality improvement recommendations.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force endorses ultrasound for abdominal aneurysm screening. See AAA. It also recommends the use of medical imaging for breast cancer and colorectal cancer screening. See USPSTF.
- Specialty societies, such as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, include imaging as a central element of practice guidelines for providers. See Guidelines
Medical imaging is underused in diagnosing and treating critical health conditions, according to recent studies by leading researchers.
- Researchers from the RAND Corporation have shown that Americans, on average, receive only half the recommended medical care they should, including medical imaging for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and heart disease. See Underuse
- The federal government's Healthy People 2010 report calls for increases in the percentage of women aged 40 years and older receiving a mammogram. See Healthy People
Clinicians rely on medical imaging as one of the essential tools in helping them provide quality treatment.
- The New England Journal of Medicine places imaging in the top tier of critical innovations over the past 1,000 years…See Physicians
Physicians rate CT and MRI as the most important innovations in providing quality care for their patients. See Survey
Imaging is recognized by accreditation organizations – such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance – as a standard of modern medical care. See NCQA
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