RSNA and the American College of Radiology (ACR) are launching a new clinical data registry to collect 3D printing data used in radiology.
The registry, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2019, will be managed by a joint ACR-RSNA committee and hosted by the ACR’s National Radiology Data Registry system. One of its primary goals is to highlight the importance of 3D printing to radiology, according to a prepared statement. This has been a challenge for the specialty in the past due to “the rich diversity of clinical indications, the different technologies for generating physical models from medical images and the complexity of the models.”
“The creation of the joint RSNA-ACR 3D Printing Registry is essential for the advancement of clinical 3D printing,” William Weadock, MD, professor of radiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and chair of the RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG), said in the statement. “The registry will allow us to collect data in support of the appropriate use of this technology and its value in clinical decision making, and this collaboration between RSNA and ACR shows the importance of 3D printing to radiology.”
“Medical models and surgical guides have been 3D printed for well over a decade, as niche applications—and without CPT codes,” Frank Rybicki, MD, PhD, chair of the ACR Committee on appropriateness Criteria and founding chair of the RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group, said in a prepared statement. “For example, craniomaxillofacial care providers generally accept that 3D printing is valuable and integral to patient care. However, when applying for CPT codes, it became clear that this ‘general acceptance’ lacked peer-reviewed literature to demonstrate value. This registry will supply data to benchmark the value of this subspecialty.”
Financial support for the collaboration has been provided by Formlabs, HP, Materialise and Stratasys.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.