University of Utah Health is recognized by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) as a Provider-Led Entity (PLE) that can evaluate imaging criteria and create Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for imaging.
Multidisciplinary AUC Committee
The AUC Committee is a multidisciplinary team with autonomous governance, decision-making, and accountability for developing or modifying AUC. The AUC Committee consists of multidisciplinary clinical teams, including physician champions for specific medical conditions or scenarios, an imaging expert either from radiology or cardiology, primary care physicians, biomedical informatics specialist, decision support team, value engineers, statistical support, and a project manager.
The AUC committee develops and maintains evidence-based standards specific for advanced imaging applications in common clinical conditions as well as rare clinical conditions that are often encountered in tertiary academic medical centers. These include neurocognitive and behavioral disorders. The committee conducts a needs-based evidentiary review, generates and updates appropriate use criteria for advanced imaging applications. See the membership of the AUC Committee by clicking the button below.
Evidentiary Review Process
University of Utah Health adheres to evidence-based processes for developing, modifying, and/or endorsing imaging AUC. In particular, the Imaging AUC program ensures that AUC (and all components of each set of criteria) are scientifically valid and evidence-based to the greatest extent possible. The AUC Committee uses a standardized evidentiary review process, leveraging the experts in our healthcare system's Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Click the link to see the details of our evidentiary Review Process.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures
We believe it is critical to determine and disclose potential conflicts of interest in order to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards in our research and clinical work. Members of the PLE team who work on the development or modification of AUC must complete and submit our PLE-specific Conflict of Interest form (see below).
In addition, the University of Utah Conflict of Interest Office supports the University community in identifying and managing financial conflicts of interest.
Currently, no members of the AUC Committee have a conflict of interest that interferes with their work in developing AUC.
AUC we use
We develop, modify, and endorse AUC using an evidence-based process as specified by CMS in the CY 2016 Physician Fee Schedule rules. Our areas of clinical focus are similar to those indicated as priorities by the CMS:
- Coronary artery disease (suspected or diagnosed)
- Suspected pulmonary embolism
- Headache (traumatic and non-traumatic)
- Hip pain
- Low back pain
- Shoulder pain (to include suspected rotator cuff injury)
- Cancer of the lung (primary or metastatic, suspected or diagnosed)
- Cervical or neck pain
More information on the CMS priority clinical areas can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Appropriate-Use-Criteria-Program/PCA.html.
The AUC we have developed and use:
