At MSK, we have long recognized that the use of medical imaging in cancer care requires guidelines and protocols tailored specifically to the needs of patients with cancer. As part of our commitment to continually optimizing quality, safety and efficiency in all areas of cancer care, we are developing appropriate use criteria (AUC) for advanced imaging services across the patient’s care continuum which we refer to as clinical context for imaging:
 

Our Imaging Disease Management Teams (IDMTs) are charged with defining the AUC for specific clinical domains. While our initial focus is on the Priority Clinical Areas (PCAs) as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), it is an on-going process to provide AUC for advanced diagnostic imaging related to the full range of clinical conditions most relevant to patients with cancer.

MSK may modify existing AUC or develop new AUC as our IDMT members deem necessary. The IDMTs may also endorse existing AUC when the evidence provided is consistent with MSK standards of care, clinically relevant, and valid for the cancer patient population. Each IDMT has autonomous governance, decision-making authority and accountability for the AUC developed, modified or endorsed by that team.

Currently, AUC developed at MSK do not meet the definition of “relevant to a priority clinical area” (as defined in paragraph (c)(1)(v) of 42 CFR 414.94, i.e., the criterion or AUC subset must reasonably address the entire clinical scope of the corresponding priority clinical area) due to the focus on special considerations in oncology care and allied diseases.