| Clinical Images | Phantom Images |
Nuclear Medicine | - Failure to label for laterality and orientation
- Failure to read instructions
- Incomplete submission of exams
- Failure to follow written procedure
- Information on Clinical Data Sheet does not correspond to Physician Report
- Failure to send quality images
- Submitting only fused images
| - Incomplete dataset
- Failure to submit composite of rods
- Center of rotation
- High-count flood
- Phantom mixing and positioning
- Not applying required attenuation correction (if available in the processing software)
|
PET | - Failure to label for laterality and orientation
- Failure to read instructions
- Submitting only fused images
- Not sending coronal images for oncology, both AC and NAC
- Not submitting testing package
- Failure to send quality images
| - Incomplete dataset
- Failure to include rods
- Failure to remove spheres
- Phantom mixing and positioning
- SUV values now pass/fail
|
CT | - Scanning through orbits/lens on brain CT
- Not submitting required series (i.e. contrast enhanced)
- Not reviewing the CT Testing Instructions before choosing exams for submission
- Selecting examinations your site does not usually perform
- Supervising physician not reviewing images before they are sent to the ACR
| - Techniques listed in Phantom Site Scanning Data Form do not match techniques used to scan the ACR or dosimetry phantoms
- Parameters given to physicist are not parameters used for clinical exams
- Not checking images for correct protocol
- Not submitting dose images
- Incorrect size chosen for pediatric abdomen phantom in data form
|
MRI | - Not reviewing testing instructions before choosing exams for submission
- Not reviewing instructions located on the first page of each module in the Testing Instructions
- Not submitting entire exam
- Not submitting required sequences
- Not submitting ADC map
- Poor SNR
- Incomplete anatomical coverage
- Supervising physician not reviewing images before they are sent to the ACR
| - Not following instructions provided in guidance documents
- Physicist not reviewing images/data before sending to the ACR
|
Mammography | PositioningCompressionAnonymizing imagesFailure to read instructions
| Phantom images do not meet criteria for fibers, specks and massesFailure to read instructionsNot choosing best tomosynthesis slice for DBT unitsChoosing wrong size phantom in testing package
|
Breast MR | - Low SNR
- Artifacts
- Parameters for pre- and post-contrast T1 images do not match
|
Breast Ultrasound | - Correlating mammogram was not performed within 60 days prior to sonogram
- CC and MLO images not submitted
- Sonogram discordant with mammogram
- Distance from nipple to abnormality not measured on images
- Pre-fire or post-fire images labeled incorrectly
|
Stereotactic Breast Biopsy | - Correlating mammogram was not performed within 60 days prior to stereo biopsy
- Calcifications not seen on both stereo pair views
|
Radiation Oncology | - Insufficient information in consultative note
- Incomplete patient history and physical examination
- Incomplete treatment prescriptions
- Lack of defined goals and requirements of treatment plan by radiation oncologist (i.e., dose constraints)
- No formal treatment planning quality assurance plan
- Lack of dose volume histograms
- Lack of proper treatment quality assurance prior to patient treatment (i.e., no IMRT QA)
- No written directive for brachytherapy procedure(s)
- Insufficient radiation oncologist coverage during patient treatment
- Lack of port film verification
- Lack of documented weekly patient visits
- No documented patient follow-up plan
- No formal quality assurance and improvement program documented (e.g., outcome studies, focus studies)
- No physician or physicist peer-review documented
- End-of-treatment physics check not performed within a week
|
Ultrasound | - Failure to read accreditation instructions
- Submitting studies that do not meet the Exam Requirements
- Failure to meet Exam Requirements with static imaging (cine loops submitted are disregarded for the review process)
- Inadequate documentation of required anatomy
- Submitting post-surgical studies
- Improper technical settings
- Improper scanning technique
- Poor image quality
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