Many of you are by now familiar with Imaging 3.0, the vision of the American College of Radiology to strengthen the future of our specialty. The Imaging 3.0 initiative is built upon several pillars: an integrated service environment, leadership in new health care organizations such as accountable care organizations (ACOs), patient-focused care, and a network of tools and services that support the ACR’s goal of positioning radiologists as expert consultants not only to referring physicians but also to the newly emerging health systems.

The concept of an integrated service environment entails appropriateness of imaging, quality assurance and improvement, patient and healthcare worker safety, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. All such metrics factor into the value of what we do as radiologists and will be increasingly scrutinized in this era of healthcare transition. The ideas behind Imaging 3.0 are designed to help radiologists not only to survive in the new healthcare infrastructure but to act as leaders and agents of change. Imaging 3.0 encourages radiologists to become advocates for our patients and embrace our role as integral members of a team-based approach to health care decision-making. Just as important, ACR tasks radiologists to broaden our interactions with our patients through effective communication and engagement. ACR offers a set of resources including case studies, sample documents, and a network of practitioners to provide collaboration and support.

The vision for the upcoming AJNR Tweet Chat (Tuesday, December 9th at 2pm CST) is to provide a forum through which those not yet familiar with Imaging 3.0 can learn more about how to implement the concepts of Imaging 3.0 into their practices. Our special guests Drs. Matt Hawkins (@MattHawkinsMD) and Richard Duszak (@RichDuszak), both of whom have been advocates and leaders in the Imaging 3.0 movement, will be available for questions and discussion. Please join in the conversation using the hashtag #AJNR.