Interpreting Physician: Breast Ultrasound and Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy (Revised 04-30-20)
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Modified on: Thu, 30 Apr, 2020 at 10:18 AM
The physician performing or interpreting breast ultrasound exams or biopsies must:
Be a licensed medical practitioner
Have a thorough understanding of the indications for breast ultrasound examinations
Be familiar with the basic physical principles and limitations of the technology of ultrasound imaging
Be familiar with alternative and complementary imaging and diagnostic procedures
Be capable of correlating the results of mammographic and other procedures with the sonographic findings
Have a thorough understanding of ultrasound technology and instrumentation, ultrasound power output, equipment calibration, and safety
Be able to demonstrate familiarity with breast anatomy, physiology, and pathology
In addition, all physicians supervising, performing, and/or interpreting breast ultrasound examinations at facilities accredited by the ACR in breast ultrasound must meet the following minimum criteria:
Initial Qualifications |
Radiologist: Board-Certified | Other Physician |
Certification in Radiology or Diagnostic Radiology by the American Board of Radiology (ABR), American Osteopathic Board of Radiology (AOBR), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or College des Medecins du Quebec (CMQ). Radiologists graduating from residency after 6-30-14 must be Board-eligible as defined by the ABR. | All of these:Completion of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) - approved residency in specialty practice100 hours Cat 1 CME in breast ultrasoundPerformance, interpretation, and reporting of 300 breast ultrasound exams in last 36 months, supervised by a Board and MQSA-Certified Radiologist
|
Radiologist: Non-Board-Certified | Breast Surgeons |
Both of these:Completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) - approved diagnostic radiology residency programOversight and/or performance, interpretation, and reporting of 300 breast ultrasound examinations in the last 36 months
| Full American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS) certification, including passing both written and clinical exams. Prerequisites of full ASBS certification include:100 breast ultrasound exams per year in last 36 months with authenticated reportsMust include a minimum of 80 diagnostic and 20 interventional ultrasound exams every 12 monthsDocumented completion of 15 Cat 1 CME in breast ultrasound. At least 7 credits must be within prior 18 months
|
Continuing Experience |
Upon renewal, one of the following:200 breast ultrasound examinations in the prior 36 months (recommended)Monitoring and evaluation indicating acceptable technical success, accuracy of interpretation and appropriateness of evaluation
| Upon renewal, 200 breast ultrasound examinations in the prior 36 months |
Additional information regarding continuing experience requirements is available here |
Continuing Education |
Upon renewal, one of the following:150 hours CME (includes 75 hours of Cat 1) in the prior 36 months pertinent to the physician’s practice patterns (See ACR Parameter)Completes 15 hours CME (half must be Cat 1) in the prior 36 months specific to the imaging modality or organ system
| 15 hours CME (half must be Cat 1) in the prior 36 months in breast ultrasound, including biopsy |
Additional information regarding continuing education requirements is available here |
All physicians performing and supervising ultrasound-guided biopsies must meet both the breast ultrasound interpretation criteria outlined above and the ultrasound-guided breast biopsy minimum criteria detailed here:
Initial Qualifications |
Radiologist | Other Physician |
Qualified to interpret mammograms under MQSA | All of these:Review mammographic findings with a MQSA-qualified physicianPerform 3 ultrasound-guided breast biopsy procedures under the supervision of a qualified physician, OR complete a residency or fellowship that includes instruction in ultrasound-guided breast needle procedures by a Board- and MQSA- certified diagnostic radiologistHave 3 hours of Category 1 CME didactic instruction in ultrasound-guided breast biopsy
|
Continuing Experience |
Upon renewal, 36 image-guided breast biopsies in the prior 36 months |
In addition to meeting being fully certified by ASBS, all physicians must meet all other requirements of the accreditation program including compliance with the peer-review requirements and outcome data monitoring.
Only qualified physicians may independently perform ultrasound guided breast biopsy procedures at facilities accredited by the ACR. Physician Assistants or Radiologist's Assistants cannot perform without a qualified physician being in the room at the time of the biopsy procedure.
Revision History for this Article |
Date | Section | Description of Revision(s) |
12-12-19 | All | Article created; FAQs incorporated; No criteria changes |
04-30-20 | Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy | Incorporated FAQ regarding Physician Assistants or Radiologist Assistants
|
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