Advanced Practice Quality Improvement Project: How to Influence Physician Radiologic Imaging Ordering Behavior

With growing pressure on the health care sector to improve quality and reduce costs, the stakes associated with imaging appropriateness have never been higher. Although radiologists historically functioned as imaging gatekeepers, this role has been deprioritized in the recent past. This article discusses several potential practice quality improvement projects that can help radiologists regain their role as valued consultants and integral members of the care team. By applying the PDSA framework, radiologists can incrementally optimize their practice's consultation service. While it can be expected that different strategies will gain traction in different environments, it is our hope that the methodology described here will prove useful to most or all practices as a starting point. In addition, we discuss several other influencing techniques that extend beyond traditional consultation services.