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E-News: July 2007
For questions and responses contact:
ACR Resident and Fellow Section
1891 Preston White Dr
Reston, VA 20191
Phone: (800) 227-5463, ext 4998
E-mail: rfs@acr.org
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
Update - Legislation Addressing the Status of AFIP
Senator Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) planned amendment to the Defense
Department Reauthorization bill was forestalled after Senate leaders
tabled the Defense bill amid partisan bickering over proposals for
withdrawing troops from Iraq. Senator Kennedy's amendment would have
required DOD to maintain core functions of the AFIP in a newly-created
Joint Pathology Center to be housed on the campus of the National Naval
Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland. Similar language was included in
the House-passed version of the Defense Reauthorization bill.
At the time the Defense Reauthorization bill was pulled from the Senate
floor, Committee staffers predicted that the bill would be brought to
the Senate floor again some time after the August recess. Should the
Senate resume consideration of the bill this fall, members of the RFS
will once again be called upon to voice their support for AFIP. We
appreciate you being prepared to contact your Senators in the coming
months should a call to action be necessary.
ACR Involvement at AFIP
As you may know, the radiologic pathology (RADPATH) course at AFIP has
been reduced in length from six weeks to four. Despite this change, the
ACR will continue to have a presence during the course, both through
education and member services. Please see below for information on the
ACR presence at AFIP:
ACR will continue to sponsor the Cardiac Day. The day's programming will be coordinated by Vincent B. Ho, M.D., associate professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS), and will include seven lectures and a lunchtime interactive session.
ACR will provide financial support for the breast imaging lectures and sponsor Leonard M. Glassman, M.D. as the lecturer.
ACR will sponsor the AFIP RADPATH reception, currently held on the first Thursday of each course. An ACR representative will attend the reception and provide an overview of ACR and explain how residents can benefit from their membership and the services available from the ACR and its Resident and Fellow Section.
No News is Often Good News: the ABR and Timing of the Oral Boards
Since the June meeting of the American Board of Radiology (ABR), no
changes have been implemented regarding the structure or timing of the
oral board examination. As it stands, the oral board exam will continue
to be administered at the end of the four-year diagnostic radiology
residency training. The ABR recognizes that issues related to the timing
of the oral board exam and residency curriculum are very complex and
time is required in order to make any recommendations for change, and
certainly to implement any changes.
Coming Soon - RFS Survey
In the July 2007 issue of the Journal of the American College of
Radiology (JACR), Leonard Berlin, M.D. addresses apathy and the degree
to which it can be considered a threat to the survival of radiology. Dr.
Berlin sites numbers that show ACR membership among radiologists in the
United States as low and sites apathy as a possible reason for
physicians not joining the College or becoming more involved in its
activities.
Although attendance at the RFS annual meeting has increased in the past
five years, the RFS Executive Committee (EC) recognizes that membership
retention rates are low within this constituency and fewer members are
becoming involved in the College's activities. In an attempt to identify
potential reasons for this attrition and lack of involvement, the RFS EC
is developing a brief survey to collect input from current RFS members
and past attendees of the RFS annual meeting. Please stay tuned for more
information on this survey.
Success for the ACR at the Annual AMA Meeting
The House of Radiology faired well at this year's AMA annual meeting where the debated issues vital to radiology included:
Ancillary Office Exemption of the Stark Provisions
Pay-for-Performance
General Surgeons' attempts to extend the "definition of surgery"
FDA regulation of stereotactic breast biopsy, and
Specialty society representation in the House of Delegates
Victories for the ACR included the referral of a decision to allow FDA
regulation of stereotactic biopsy as opposed to accreditation and
certification by members of the house of medicine. In addition, the ACR
was able to voice their concerns regarding conflicts of interest with
respect to health facility ownership by physicians. This led to the
issue being referred back to the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs
to be examined more closely.
To learn more about issues pertinent to the field of radiology and how
they fit into the broader scope of American medicine, please visit
www.acr.org.
Getting Involved with ACR Commissions and Committees
One of the goals of the Resident and Fellow Section Executive Committee
is to place members of the RFS on ACR Commissions and Committees. We are
currently in the process of finalizing placements for the 2007-2008
appointment year. If you have a desire to get involved on an ACR
Commission or Committee please send an e-mail to rfs@acr.org. The e-mail
should include the following: your name, your program name, your current
year in training, and any subspecialty interests. ACR staff will follow
up with you to discuss potential placements. If you attended the 2007
AMCLC and previously completed a form to identify your areas of interest
you will receive notification of your placement within the next
two-three weeks.
If you have any questions about this process, please e-mail Trina
Zeberlein at tzeberlein@acr.org.
For more information about these and other ACR Fellowships, please visit the RFS Web site.
Past E-News
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