ACR Support

Comparative Data for General Radiology

The ACR General Radiology Improvement Database (GRID) is a robust dataset of process measures (e.g. turnaround times, wait times) and outcomes (e.g. adverse incidents) that helps participants pinpoint problems, implement plans, and quantify results for general radiology practices. By using the GRID as the basis of a data-driven approach, radiology practices can demonstrate their success in improving imaging and care to the benefit of patients, referring physicians, hospitals, and payers.

With more than 69 million exams from over 600 active facilities, the GRID represents a broad variety of facilities, with data by

• facility type (e.g. Freestanding vs. Community Hospital)

• location (e.g. Metropolitan/Suburban/Rural)

• geography, and

• practice size

Aggregate reports gauge progress in improving patient care by comparing performance to practices of similar size and type as well as national and regional benchmarks. Quarterly exam-level reports help physicians gauge their performance compared to the nation for turnaround times reported to CMS for MIPS (formerly PQRS).

Credit and Recognition

The GRID is certified as a Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) project for American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV Programs. Because GRID data are collected at the facility level, participation applies to all radiologists and medical physicists at a facility who choose to participate in the project.

The GRID also helps facilities qualify for designation as an ACR Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence (DICOE), allowing radiology practices to communicate their dedication to, and success in, delivering superior diagnostic imaging and patient care.

Ease of Use and Fees

As part of the NRDR suite of registries, the GRID utilizes the same Physician and User dictionaries as other NRDR registries so that information need only be entered once, regardless of the number of registries in which a facility participates.

In addition to online data entry forms and bulk data uploads, the GRID also accepts data from approved third-party vendors, making it easier to participate. See GRID Data Submission Overview to learn more.

The annual fee is based on the number of physicians practicing at a facility, and the number of sites included in that facility, and there is no cost for Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence (DICOE) facilities (for the first three years) or for facilities already participating in the NRDR Dose Registry Index (DIR). 

Because GRID participation covers all physicians in a facility, participants also receive free access to other NRDR registries for that practice. See Registration and Participation Fees for more information.