What areas are assessed?
DICOE follows Center of Excellence driving principles of adoption, implementation, and maintenance.
In this way, an actionable framework for positive change is created, one that can guide facilities
throughout the designation's three-year cycle. The DICOE team is made up of a radiologist, a medical
physicist, and an ACR staff member, and will conduct the extensive on-site assessment. Covering
several critical areas of your operation, the DICOE team will examine:
Governance — There is a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities
Personnel — All certifications and licensing are up to date.
Facility organization and management — Facility layout must account for patient privacy
and safety.
Physical environment — Facilities should provide clean, professional, and patient-centric
care.
Equipment and IT — All equipment is tested annually, maintained, and operating in optimum
conditions mandated by ACR accreditation.
Radiation and general safety — All safety procedures are known to the team and followed.
Quality management — Quality measures are selected, analyzed to improve imaging quality
for maintaining the best outcome.
Policies and procedures — Are patient rights clearly posted and adhered to?
Patient rights — There is a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities.
Medical records — Effective imaging report communications while maintaining privacy.
Our goal is to raise the minimum standards of value-based care to the highest possible level
throughout the radiology practice; therefore, surveyors may request a Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
as needed. The execution of CAP and the DICOE final report provides a valuable roadmap to maintain
excellence at your facility. ACR staff stands ready to support you through the life of DICOE.
In addition, if your practice includes routine fluoroscopy and diagnostic X-ray—two imaging areas for
which there are not ACR accreditations—the site survey will also include review of their safety,
protocols and documentation of dose (for fluoroscopy).
Thinking about applying for DICOE, but would first like to learn more from a facility that went through the process already? Please send an email to DICOE@acr.org using the subject line “reference” and indicate if you are a pediatric facility. We will connect you with a DICOE facility.