The American College of Radiology (ACR) Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care (CPFCC) announced the creation of the Population Health Management (PHM) Committee, which will “ensure that the value to high-quality radiologic and radiation oncological care is recognized as a key component in improving the overall health of populations.”

Syed F. Zaidi, MD, an interventional radiologist for Radiology Partners, will serve as the chair of the new committee and McKinley Glover, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, will serve as vice chair.

“I am honored to chair the Commission’s Population Health Management Committee,” Zaidi said in a prepared statement issued by the ACR. “We will strive to help guide ACR members in avenues of engagement with population health management, whether it’s through adoption of low dose chest CT, opportunities to increase screening, or following up on important findings such as abdominal aortic aneurysms and lung nodules.”

The PHM Committee seeks to enable radiologists and radiation oncologists to work with their patients, other clinicians, administrators and community health organizations to cultivate population health management strategies that ensure imaging is a vital component of “high quality and cost-effective healthcare aimed at improving and maintaining health.”

“We must make sure patients don’t fall through the cracks of our fragmented health system," Zaidi said in the same statement. "Radiologists can and do play a leading role in population health, and this committee will look to create toolkits and define best practices, further empowering our membership to expand their roles in advocating for the best healthcare for our communities."