Radiology Excellence Self-Assessment

Focused on the ACR DICOE domains most tied to daily reporting operations

For hospitals, radiology departments, and imaging centers anywhere. This short assessment covers the DICOE domains most directly connected to day-to-day reporting.

What this covers & independence notice

For hospitals, radiology departments, and imaging centers anywhere. This short assessment covers the DICOE domains most directly connected to day-to-day reporting: Radiation & MRI Safety, Quality Management, Communication, Emergency Services, Artificial Intelligence, and Quality Improvement — plus one leading practice beyond DICOE's published list. It does not cover every DICOE domain (e.g., Physical Environment, Equipment maintenance, Utilization Review, Registries) — for a full DICOE readiness review, ACR's official process is the authority. Your radiology team stays at the center of care throughout.

Independence notice: This is an independent educational self-assessment created by Rology, referencing publicly available information about the American College of Radiology's (ACR) DICOE program. It is not an official ACR survey, is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACR, and completing it does not confer, imply, or substitute for actual DICOE designation. Only ACR's formal application and survey process can award that designation. Learn about official DICOE certification at acr.org →

11 questions, ~3 minutes 9 DICOE-aligned criteria Instant result

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DICOE BASELINE CRITERIACore operational domains

ACR's DICOE Baseline Criteria span 8 domains. This shortened assessment covers the 3 most directly tied to daily reporting operations — Radiation & MRI Safety, Quality Management System, and Communication — plus Emergency Services. Questions 1–7.

Does your facility monitor and optimize radiation dose, and enforce MRI safety zoning/screening?

DICOE Baseline · Radiation & MRI Safety

Yes, routine monitoring & enforced protocols

Occasional review

No formal program

Not sure

DICOE domain: Radiation and MRI Safety is one of ACR's 8 named DICOE baseline domains, reflecting ICRP/ALARA dose-optimization guidance. Rology offers an FDA-cleared Automated Patient Radiation Dose Reporting Service that integrates with imaging modalities at zero setup cost.

Does your facility run a structured peer-review process for radiology reports?

DICOE Baseline · Quality Management System

Yes, ongoing structured peer review

Occasional or informal review

No formal process

Not sure

DICOE domain: Quality Management System is one of ACR's 8 named DICOE baseline domains. Structured peer review (e.g., the ACR's RADPEER model) is a recognized QMS practice.

Are your radiology reports based on standardized templates, or mostly free-text dictation?

DICOE Baseline · Quality Management System

Standardized templates for most/all studies

Mix of templates and free text

Mostly free-text narrative

Not sure

DICOE domain: Quality Management System. RSNA's RadReport library and ACR-endorsed structured-reporting systems (BI-RADS, LI-RADS) are the recognized standard for consistent reporting.

What's your typical turnaround time for routine (non-urgent) studies, across whichever modalities you run?

DICOE Baseline · Communication

Same day (under 12 hrs)

Within 24 hours

24–72 hours

More than 72 hours

DICOE domain: Communication. Radiology practice guidelines commonly target routine study reports signed within 24 hours of the exam.

What's your typical turnaround time for urgent/STAT studies?

DICOE Baseline · Communication

Under 1 hour

1–3 hours

3–6 hours

Over 6 hours / no formal STAT pathway

DICOE domain: Communication. Widely used radiology turnaround-time guidelines target urgent/STAT studies within 1–3 hours.

How are critical findings communicated to the ordering physician?

DICOE Baseline · Communication

Documented, direct notification within 60 minutes

Informal notification, usually same day

No consistent process

Not sure

DICOE domain: Communication. Critical-findings policies widely used in radiology call for direct, documented notification within 60 minutes.

Does your facility have documented after-hours/emergency imaging protocols with a clear escalation pathway?

DICOE Baseline · Emergency Services

Yes, documented with defined escalation

Informal coverage arrangements

No formal after-hours protocol

Not sure

DICOE domain: Emergency Services is one of ACR's 8 named DICOE baseline domains.

DICOE ADVANCED CRITERIAWhere leading facilities differentiate

Two of ACR's named DICOE Advanced Criteria domains, most relevant day-to-day. Questions 8–9.

Does your facility use AI-assisted tools in the imaging workflow (triage, detection support, reporting assistance)?

DICOE Advanced · Artificial Intelligence

Yes, integrated into routine workflow

Piloting/testing

Not currently

Not sure

DICOE domain: Artificial Intelligence is one of ACR's named DICOE Advanced Criteria domains.

Does your facility run a structured, ongoing quality-improvement program with tracked metrics?

DICOE Advanced · Quality Improvement Programs

Yes, ongoing with tracked KPIs

Ad hoc initiatives only

No formal QI program

Not sure

DICOE domain: Quality Improvement Programs is one of ACR's named DICOE Advanced Criteria domains.

How connected is your current radiology reporting workflow?

Beyond DICOE · Workflow Digitization

Fully digital & connected

Partially digital

Mostly manual/paper-based

Not sure

Leading practice: a connected reporting workflow reduces friction between imaging, reporting, and clinical follow-up.

Which radiology reporting and review model does your organization primarily use?

Context · Reporting Model

Single-radiologist model — one radiologist reports and signs off studies independently across different modalities

Two-tier review model — a specialist drafts the report, and a consultant reviews and approves it

Subspecialty-based model — studies are assigned according to expertise, such as neuro, MSK, pediatric, or cardiac radiology

Hybrid model — the approach varies based on modality, case complexity, urgency, or radiologist availability

Not sure / no standard model in place

Why this matters: the reporting and review model shapes diagnostic consistency, subspecialty coverage, and how quickly complex cases are resolved. This question is context-only and does not affect your score.

About the DICOE references used above: ACR's Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence (DICOE) program recognizes facilities at three tiers — DICOE, DICOE with Distinction, and DICOE Pinnacle — based on 8 Baseline Criteria domains (Physical Environment, Equipment, Radiation & MRI Safety, General Safety, Quality Management System, Communication, Utilization Review & Appropriateness of Services, and Emergency Services) and Advanced Criteria domains (including Artificial Intelligence, Quality Improvement Programs, Registries/Outcomes, Recommendation Tracking, Radiology-Pathology Correlations, and others). This shortened assessment intentionally covers a focused subset — 3 of 8 Baseline domains and 2 Advanced domains — chosen for direct relevance to daily reporting operations; it is not a substitute for a full DICOE review. This assessment also references ACR turnaround-time guidance, ICRP/ALARA radiation dose-optimization principles, RSNA/ACR structured-reporting standards, and peer-reviewed quality-assurance literature (including RADPEER-style peer-review studies). Source: acr.org/Accreditation/Designations/Diagnostic-Imaging-Center-of-Excellence. This tool is independently built by Rology and is not an official ACR assessment, application, or certification.

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