Revision History
In low volume or emergency situations, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, PET and Ultrasound facilities may use units and may perform imaging exams that are not accredited in a specific module without jeopardizing their accreditation status.
Low volume or Emergency use does not apply to any CT exam/module/patient type (adult or pediatric) or Breast Imaging (Mammography, Breast Ultrasound or Stereotactic Breast Biopsy) programs
MRI, Nuclear Medicine and PET are unit-based accreditations meaning every unit used for diagnostic imaging must be accredited unless the criteria in Table 1 are met.
Ultrasound is a facility-based accreditation meaning all modules performed at the facility must be accredited unless the criteria listed in Table 2 is met.
Timeframe and examination limits for low volume or emergency use are provided in the tables below. Both the monthly and yearly criteria must be met to qualify. Facilities must notify the ACR and submit testing if the volume of examinations exceeds these limits.
Table 1
Table 2
Acceptable Number and Timeframe of ‘Low Volume or Emergency Use’ Examinations Performed Outside an Ultrasound Facility's Accreditation Status | |
30 days | Fewer than 5 |
12 months | Fewer than 25 |
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