News

The Society works diligently to keep its members updated on what’s happening within the association and in the radiology community.

Review the current issue of the IRS newsletter or peruse previous newsletters in the archives.

Index of Articles

• Letter from IRS President Regarding Legislative Efforts Affecting Renumeration
• Leonard Berlin, MD, FACR, Receives ACR Gold Medal
• Leonard Berlin Gold Medal Acceptance
• IRS Selects New Officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors
• Chicago Radiological Society Elects New Officers
• Resident/Fellows Section Elects New Officers
• Dr. Kate A. Feinstein Receives Chicago Radiological Society’s Gold Medal
• IRS Members Received ACR Fellow Status
• CRS to Celebrate 100 Years
• IRS Enters into Educational Materials Marketing Agreement with ACR

Letter from IRS President Regarding Legislative Efforts Affecting Renumeration

Dear Colleagues:

Since the new officers of Illinois Radiological Society (IRS) have taken office in May 2011, many important issues have surfaced both at State and National level. On behalf of the membership, ACR and IRS have been working hard to preserve and promote our specialty on many fronts especially in terms of maintaining our remuneration.

Few of the recent developments are:

Out of Network

The legislature has been “playing” with the issue of Out-of-Network reimbursement for some time but, in 2010, a bill was passed that was later signed into law.  The new law is more than a little detrimental to the physicians named in the statute.  The Illinois Radiological Society (IRS), along with the Illinois State Medical Society and other specialty societies had expressed concerns to the sponsors but, were disappointed that there seemed to be little interest on the part of the proponents in making changes to the bill that would make it more acceptable for the impacted physicians.  The bill was called for a vote in the House during ongoing negotiations and was passed based on less than sincere information to the members of the chamber.  HB 5085 became P.A. 96-1523.

The situation was such that rules of the Department of Insurance required that a patient utilizing the services of an out-of-network physician at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical treatment center be held harmless when the patient has not made a conscious choice to utilize the out-of-network physician.  This rule was implemented to address a problem that has presented itself in more than one circumstance. As it was implemented, it was insurers that had the responsibility for paying for the “hold harmless” provision. In response to this rule, insurance companies came to the General Assembly to impose restrictions on physician charges or increase administrative burdens, such as mandatory arbitration, to address what are perceived to be egregious charges.  The problem as the opponents to the bill see it, is an issue relating to the failure of some insurers to offer a sufficient choice of physician services resulting in an inadequate network.

The IRS felt strongly from the beginning that fair and reasonable contracts between hospital-based health practitioners and insurance carriers has to be considered as the real “fix” in these situations.  The insurance industry attempts to blame physicians for refusing to negotiate contracts with insurers who may have contracts at certain hospitals.  We worked, along with the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) and other specialty medical societies, to come to a reasonable solution to the problem presented by the legislature.  Unfortunately, our efforts and recommendations were rebuffed.  After the bill passed, we sought a veto from the Governor.  This request was denied and the bill was signed into law.  Since the effective date of the new law was June 1, 2011, we went back to the legislature, with the ISMS as the lead for our coalition group, to try and get a bill passed that would delay the implementation of the bill and make changes that would address a number of our strongest concerns.  It appeared, up until the last few days of session, that something would be passed but, at the last minute, our bill got “caught up” in the negotiations and machinations that happened with the issue of Workman’s Compensation reform.

After the completion of the legislative session, the options for the membership of the coalition fighting the new law were relatively limited.  The coalition group met and discussed the possibility of going forward with a legal challenge to the statute.  A meeting was held with an attorney to discuss how such a suit would proceed, what could be anticipated for costs, and the potential legal challenges.  An independent law suit was filed by a Peoria area pathology group prior to a suit being filed by the larger coalition.  A main goal of the coalition had been to try and control and lessen the financial burden on the participating societies.  After various discussions, the IRS Board has taken the position to continue to participate in the coalition and to dedicate up to $15,000 to the legal challenge.  But at this point, we are in a holding pattern while the federal court contemplates the independent legal challenge.

Proposed cut of $800 million in imaging reimbursement avoided

When the negotiations began over the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Debt Ceiling Agreement), there was a provision calling for $800 million in cuts to imaging. However, due to the diligent work of ACR and RADPAC, the ACR’s Political Action Fund, the proposed cuts were removed from the initial round of cuts agreed to in the final bill, which was signed into law in early August. As a result of our lobbying effort, a bipartisan group of senators, including John Kerry (D-MA), Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), sent a letter to the Obama Administration, protesting inclusion of any diagnostic imaging cuts in legislation to raise the debt ceiling. The letter emphasized how cuts to imaging can stifle medical innovation, create job loss, and negatively impact patient care. It was proposed that the Administration should back appropriateness criteria based clinical decision support systems to promote appropriate utilization of imaging services, and curb overutilization.

Opposition to implementation of proposed  application of the multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) to the professional interpretive component of S&I codes similar to what has already been done on the technical component side

Due to the efforts of ACR, Congressman Pete Olsen  (R-TX) and Congressman Jason Altmire (D-PA), wrote a letter to the Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) voicing opposition to the implementation. Further, 61 Congresspersons of both parties wrote a letter to the Chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, with similar content. ACR with the help of the state chapter Leadership also mobilized the membership to write individual letters to comment on the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed rule, and express opposition. We await the results of these efforts.

In a message received from John A. Patti, MD, FACR, Chairman, Board of Chancellors he states:

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the ACR membership for its commitment to our letter writing campaign to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to its proposed Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) to our professional component. We have confirmed that 2,301 letters were submitted, although we believe the actual number to be significantly higher. The confirmed number is representative of the confirmations (copies of letters) that were shared with us directly by our members. However, 7,700+ ACR members visited the CMS comments site as a direct result of ACR’s communication.

If all 7,700+ ACR members submitted a letter to CMS, it would result in 26% participation from our entire membership to this call-to-action and would rank as perhaps the largest unified voice expressed by our membership and certainly one of the largest heard by CMS. Over the next several weeks we will be monitoring the CMS website to determine the total number of comments submitted, both in favor and in opposition to the MPPR. Our goal is to attain an accurate count of radiologist-submitted letters which will give us a better idea of total membership participation.

I deeply appreciate your commitment to our specialty and urge you to continue to support ACR’s efforts on all fronts as they relate to our profession and the delivery of high quality patient care. This was a big initiative and it is likely we will need to call on our membership again, so your continued involvement will be crucial.”

As the year progresses, I am sure we will be faced with more challenges. I assure you that at ACR and IRS, we are vigilant to confront any challenges to our specialty. We request the membership to frequently visit the state chapter website http://www.illradsoc.org, as well as the ACR website www.acr.org, to be cognizant of new issues as they arise.

Further, we are only as strong as the number of our members and in turn the financial contribution towards our political action committee RADPAC. Please help us increase our membership by persuading members of your practice who have dropped from the ACR membership roster to rejoin our ranks. Also, please contribute generously at www.radpac.org. I am sure that these contributions will bear dividends for years to come to protect our livelihood.

Finally, building relationships with our local lawmakers is the first step for successful lobbying in Washington. Arranging fundraisers in your hometown with cooperation from RADPAC, strengthens the position of our lobbyists when they contact your Congressman to educate them about issues affecting our profession.

Again, it has been a pleasure to volunteer at the ACR and IRS. The members of the Executive Committee appreciate the trust you have placed in us to govern our society.

Mandar A. Pattekar MD, MS
President
Illinois Radiological Society

Leonard Berlin, MD, FACR, Receives ACR Gold Medal

Leonard Berlin, M.D., FACR
NorthShore University HealthSystem,
Skokie Hospital and Rush Medical College, Illinois 
(From ACR News)

Surprisingly, one of the most complex issues for a physician has nothing to do with technology or patient care – rather, it is the legal implications of practicing medicine.  While many may shy away from these issues, Leonard Berlin, M.D., FACR, has spent more than 30 years making this topic easier for radiologists to understand. Berlin has authored more than 300 articles on issues surrounding ethics and physician liability. His service to the ACR and the profession includes membership on countless ACR committees, both at the local and national levels. Currently, Berlin chairs the ACR Task Force on Conflicts of interest.  Over the years, the ACR Council has constantly looked to Berlin for consultation on potentially complex legal repercussions of a certain policy or procedure. His speaking engagements have established him as an expert in medical malpractice; he has spoken to radiology practices and professional society meetings on this important topic nearly 300 times.  Berlin’s fellow radiologists consistently look to him for practical legal advice. In fact, he has received hundreds of unsolicited letters from his peers, asking him to weigh in on everyday topics, to which he always generously responds.

Of Berlin’s achievements, Marilyn J. Goske, M.D., writes in her nomination letter, “he truly wishes to enhance patient care within radiology and embodies the physician’s creed to ‘do no harm.”

Leonard Berlin Gold Medal Acceptance

There are many types of awards in the world. There is a Nobel Prize, an Olympic medal, an Oscar, an induction into the baseball, or football, or country music, or other type of Hall of Fame. To me these awards pale in comparison to the Gold Medal of the American College of Radiology, for this ACR Gold Medal is for radiologists the ultimate achievement, because it is awarded by one’s peers, and as such, no greater award or honor can be bestowed. As noted in the Program of tonight’s Convocation, the first ACR Gold Medal was awarded in 1927 to William D. Coolidge, inventor of the hot cathode ray tube. Several years later, the awardee was Madame Curie, and in the following decades through last year, a grand total of only 167 medals have been bestowed by the ACR. To be included in this group of the giants – – the luminaries – – of radiology who have been recipients of this medal in past years, in addition to my two friends and colleagues, Larry Bassett and Van Moore who are co-recipients with me tonight, is most humbling.

Former CNN talk show host Larry King once said that “Those who have succeeded at anything and don’t mention luck are kidding themselves.” There has been much luck in my life. I was lucky to have been born in the United States, a nation in which one is free to dream, think, speak, and act, without restriction due to race, color, religion, political belief, or economic status.

I was lucky to have been blessed with parents who, despite very limited formal education and financial means, nevertheless instilled in their children a thirst for education, a strong work ethic, an obligation to be charitable, and a commitment to live life with integrity and humanity.

And, I was lucky to have entered the medical profession, a profession that is synonymous with and dedicated to, service to society and one’s fellow citizens. And of all the medical disciplines, I was lucky to enter what I believe to be the noblest of the medical specialties, Radiology, for radiology is distinguishable from all other specialties in that not only is the radiologist the patient’s doctor, but the radiologist is the doctor’s doctor as well.

Radiology has played a major role in my life for 56 years. Seeking employment to help finance my medical school education, I was lucky to receive on-the-job training as a radiology technologist at the University of Illinois Hospital, working weekends and vacations throughout my schooling. It was a natural consequence then, to follow medical school and internship, with a residency in Radiology.

My radiology career began when the specialty consisted only of plain films and fluoroscopic screens which required the wearing of red goggles to maintain light accommodation, where films were hand-developed in a dark room, and when a wet reading was truly a wet reading. I’ve been lucky to have seen radiologic imaging technology advance exponentially, today reaching heights never even imagined decades ago.

From the time I joined the ACR 46 years ago, I have been lucky to have had many people help guide me on a path that has eventually led me to this podium this evening. There is insufficient time here to name and thank them all, but I must single out four individuals to whom I publically express my everlasting gratitude: Lee Rogers, who has been an advisor, a mentor, a role model, and a friend, who encouraged and supported my medical-legal writing; Murray Janower, who encouraged me to join and later to succeed him as the Chairman of the ACR’s Committee on Ethics; Jim Borgstede and Larry Muroff, whose friendship and wise council over the years have been invaluable. I shall always be grateful and indebted not only to these four individuals, but also to my many colleagues and friends in the Chicago Radiological, and the Illinois Radiological, Societies, as well as to the many others in the ACR with whom I have had the good fortune to work, including fine staff members whose professionalism is unsurpassed and whose willingness to assist is unlimited, such as Bill Shields, Tom Hoffman, and Brad Short.

There is so much more to the ACR than it being just the organization that has always been, and continues to be, dedicated to educating and improving the health and welfare of both the public at large and radiologists. The ACR is a family. It is a family where camaraderie abounds, where friendships are made, where lifelong bonds are created, not only among its members and staff, but also among the spouses. As such there have been many who with open arms have welcomed my wife Phyllis into the ACR family, among whom I wish to single out Ellie Nieman, Martha Borgstede, and Adrienne Kaye, who have been like sisters to Phyllis.

Speaking of family, let me reflect on my own. In several weeks Phyllis and I will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. Phyllis has been my fellow traveler on the adventurous and exciting road of life, a road which hopefully still has no end in sight. Phyllis is my support, muse, lover, confidant, partner, best friend, mother of our four sons, Steven, Paul, Robert, and Jonathan, all of whom are here tonight, and the grandmother of our seven lovely grandchildren, the oldest of whom, Stephanie is also here tonight. They all are the love of my life.

For many years in my radiology practice, I was lucky to have a partner whose name was Sheldon Miller. Sheldon and I were radiology residents together and became close friends, as did our respective families. A superb radiologist and wonderful human being, Sheldon unfortunately died of prostatic cancer in 1989 at the age of 59. Sheldon had three sons, the oldest of whom, Frank, became a radiologist. Frank Miller is now a Professor of Radiology at Northwestern University in Chicago, is well-known nationally and internationally, and a few minutes ago was awarded Fellowship in the ACR. Because his father is not here to say it, I would like to say, “Congratulations, Frank.”

In 1930 for the Broadway show “Knickerbocker Holiday,” lyricist Maxwell Anderson and composer Kurt Weill wrote a song entitled, “September Song.” The song, which uses the months of the year as a metaphor for the years of one’s life, is still frequently sung today because of the poignant thoughts it expresses. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

Oh it’s a long, long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September,
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
When days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November,
And these few golden days I’ll share with you. 

I’ve reached the metaphorical months of November and December in my life which, of course, are the winter months, but as we all know, winter can last a long time in Chicago, and is often filled with bright, sunny, and warm days. These are indeed precious days, and I hope to spend them continuing to make whatever contributions I can to this College, – – my College — our College – – its members, and the public-at- large.

I accept this Medal with exultation muted by humility, with elation constrained by reflection, with exhilaration moderated by respect, with joy tempered by gratitude. I will treasure and cherish this Gold Medal and the memory of today’s and this evening’s events for every remaining day of my life.

Thank you.

IRS Selects New Officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors

The IRS membership approved the slate of IRS Officers and New Councilors and Alternate Councilors to the American College of Radiology for 2011-2012. The Secretary/Assistant Treasurer was a new nominations. The other three Officers moved up one position automatically. Four new Councilors to the American College of Radiology will serve the first of two possible three-year terms and the five new Alternate Councilors may serve renewable one-year terms. Both Councilors and Alternate Councilors serve on the IRS Executive Committee.

President
Mandar A. Pattekar, MD, Methodist Medical Center, Peoria, Illinois

President-Elect/Treasurer
Thomas M. Anderson, MD, FACR, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois

Secretary/Assistant Treasurer
Aruna Vade, MD, FACR, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL

Immediate Past President
Gary L. Dillehay, MD, FACR, Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois

New ACR Councilors
Edward C. Elliott, MD, FACR, Decatur Hospital, Decatur, Illinois
Kate A. Feinstein, MD, FACR, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
John F. Hibbeln, MD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Kathleen A. Ward, MD, FACR, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois

New ACR Alternate Councilors
Edward Melian, MD, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois
Edward A. Michals, MD, University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
Michael J. Racenstein, MD, FACR, Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
W. Ross Stevens, MD, FACR, Reliant Radiology LLC, Springfield, Illinois
Aruna Vade, MD, FACR, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois

ACR Young Alternate Councilor
Vanessa Wear, MD, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois

The slate was formally adopted at the IRS Business Meeting held on April 14, 2011, during the 2011 IRS Annual Meeting and Resident Educational Symposium. The new Officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors began their terms following the conclusion of the 2011 ACR Annual Meeting held in Washington, DC, on May 14-18. For a complete list of current Officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors, please visit the IRS web site at www.illradsoc.org.

Chicago Radiological Society Elects New Officers

The Chicago Radiological Society (CRS) at their Annual Meeting on April 14th elected new officers and trustees for 2011-2012. The Vice President-Program Director is a new selection. The other three officer positions moved up automatically. The terms of the new officers began after the American College of Radiology meeting in Washington, DC in mid-May.

Jennifer Lim-Dunham, MD, a diagnostic radiologist from Loyola, is the new President of the CRS. She was formerly the President-Elect/Program Director.

William Small, Jr. MD, FACR, a radiation oncologist from Northwestern, is entering his second year as Secretary/Treasurer so he is adding the title of President-Elect.

Joy Sclamberg, MD, a diagnostic radiologist from Rush, is the new Vice President/Program Director. In that capacity she will organize the program for the CRS Monthly Meetings for the next two years. She was formerly a Trustee.

Davide Bova, MD, the current CRS President from Loyola, will become the Immediate Past President.

Resident/Fellows Section Elects New Officers

Following a call for nominations issued prior to the IRS/CRS Annual Meeting on April 14th, the Resident/Fellow Section (RFS) elected new officers for 2011-2012. Rush University continued to provide leadership for the RFS as each of the new officers are from Rush.

The new officers are as follows.

President: Patrick Alore, MD, formerly the Vice President and President-Elect

Vice President/President Elect: Daniel Jeong, MD, formerly the RFS Program Director

Program Director: Ankur Patel, MD, replaces Daniel Jeong, MD.

Secretary-Treasurer: William “Wes” Theodorou, MD, replaces Damon Shearer, DO, from Loyola

Dr. Kate A. Feinstein Receives Chicago Radiological Society’s Gold Medal

The Chicago Radiological Society honored Kate A. Feinstein, MD, FACR, Professor of Radiology and Surgery at the University of Chicago, with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor the Chicago Radiological Society can bestow upon a member. The Distinguished Service Award or Gold Medal was presented to Dr. Feinstein at the February 17, 2011, CRS Meeting, to recognize her outstanding leadership in organized medicine on local, state and national levels and her many years of dedicated service to pediatric radiology.

A native Chicagoan, Dr. Feinstein received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College (PA) in 1977 and her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981. Following an internship in internal medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Feinstein went on to complete a diagnostic radiology residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and later a two-year fellowship in pediatric radiology at Northwestern University’s Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Feinstein earned a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Pediatric Radiology from the American Board of Radiology in 1995 and successfully completed the ABR’s Maintenance of Certification in Pediatric Radiology in 2005.

Dr. Feinstein began her academic career as assistant professor of radiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She later returned to Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital as assistant professor of radiology where she served as director of the pediatric radiology fellowship program and coordinated the teaching program for all rotating radiology residents. Dr. Feinstein subsequently served as associate professor of radiology at Rush University in Chicago prior to joining the University of Chicago, where she is currently section chief of pediatric radiology and professor of radiology and surgery.

Past president of both Chicago Radiological Society and Illinois Radiological Society, Dr. Feinstein continues to remain active in both state and local chapters of the American College of Radiology. She has served on the Chicago Radiological Executive Committee since 1994 and has been a member of the Illinois Radiological Executive Committee since 1996. Over the years, she has served on or chaired virtually every CRS and IRS committee as well as actively participated in the planning of the Illinois Radiological Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

Dr. Feinstein has also been very active in the American College of Radiology, particularly in her area of expertise, pediatric radiology. She has served as ACR Alternate Councilor or Councilor since 1998. Currently, she is a member of the Continuing Professional Improvement Expert Panel on Pediatric Radiology, the Commission on Pediatric Radiology, the Committee on Human Resources – Ultrasound and the Guidelines and Standards Committee of the Commission on Pediatric Imaging. She has also chaired and served on ACR Reference Committees and has served on the ACR Medical Legal Committee, Committee on Bylaws, Committee on Drugs and Contrast Media, Committee on Economics, Credentials Committee and chaired the Committee on Pediatric Radiology of the Commission on General, Pediatric, Small and Rural Radiology. In large part due to her service to organized radiology, Dr. Feinstein was honored with Fellowship status in the ACR in 2002.

Dr. Feinstein is a long-standing member of the Radiological Society of North America and has served on the RSNA Committee for Communications and the RSNA Scientific Program Committee for Pediatric Radiology. A member of the American Association for Women Radiologists since 1985, she has served on the AAWR Executive Committee as well as numerous AAWR committees, chaired the AAWR Public Relations Committee and was editor of the AAWR quarterly newsletter focus. She received the AAWR Research and Education Foundation Professional Leadership Award in 2003.

In addition to these activities, Dr. Feinstein currently is a member of the board of directors of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography and serves on the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, both as a representative of the American College of Radiology. She is also member of Scientific Committee 4-3 for the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

She has contributed numerous publications in peer-reviewed radiology journals and authored or co-authored 19 book chapters. To date, she has presented over 60 invited and scientific lectures, taught two dozen CME-related educational courses and provided numerous scientific presentations and exhibits at local, national and international meetings. Dr. Feinstein currently serves as a manuscript reviewer for the American Journal of Roentgenology, Radiology and Pediatric Radiology and has also been a guest examiner at the Oral Examinations for the American Board of Radiology on numerous occasions.

Dr. Feinstein and her husband, Richard Skolly, reside in Chicago and play active roles in Chicago’s theater community and in supporting other local cultural activities.

IRS Members Received ACR Fellow Status

A record twelve candidates received their Fellowship Designations during the Convocation held May 15 during the American College of Radiology Meeting in Washington, according to Doctor Gary Dillehay, from Northwestern, immediate past chair of the IRS Fellowship Committee. One of the highest honors the ACR can bestow on a radiologist, radiation oncologist or medical physicist is recognition as a fellow of the American College of Radiology. ACR Fellows demonstrate a history of service to the College, organized radiology, teaching, or research. Approximately 10% of ACR members achieve this distinction. Those receiving Fellowship include:

Joseph C. Barkmeier, MD, FACR
University of Illinois School of Medicine
Carle Clinic Association
Urbana, Illinois

Jay L. Korach, MD, FACR
Hammond Clinic
Hammond, Indiana

Joel E. Leland, DO, FACR
Advanced Medical Imaging Center
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Jonathan I. Meyer, MD, FACR
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Frank H. Miller, MD, FACR
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois

Bhargavi Patel, MD, FACR
University of Illinois Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois

Jose A. (Tony) Rodriguez, MD, FACR
SIU College of Medicine
Blessing Hospital
Quincy, Illinois

Kurubarahalli. R. Saroja, MD, FACR
Raymond G. Scott Cancer Care Center
Geneva, Illinois

Jerry Soen, MS, FACR
Advocate Christ Medical Center
Oak Lawn, Illinois

Joel Tennenhouse, MD, FRCP (C), FACR
SIU College of Medicine
St. John’s Hospital
Springfield, Illinois

Carey Allen Weiss, MD, FACR
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IllinoisAndrew C. Wilbur, MD, FACR
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

CRS to Celebrate 100 Years

Ruth G. Ramsey
Chair, 2013 Centennial of the Chicago Radiological Society

The Chicago Radiological Society is the oldest continually active radiological society in the United States. In the spring of 2013 they will celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the society.

We would like to invite you to this celebration. Our speaker will be Robert Novelline, MD. A dynamic and well known speaker, Dr. Novelline is the Head of the Section of Emergency Radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

The tentative date for the centennial is April 18, 2013. The venue is yet to be determined. The evening will also include an exhibit of radiology memorabilia from the previous 100 years and a gala dinner celebration.

All are welcome. Please plan to join us for this once in a life time event.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for our industry friends as noted below.

The Chicago Radiological Society (CRS) is celebrating the Centennial of the founding of our society in 2013. We are the oldest, continuously active radiological society in the United States. In honor of our milestone, we at the CRS are requesting unrestricted education grants to support our speakers for the 2012-2013 season. The CRS meets six times per year. In general, the cost to sponsor one speaker is approximately $2,500, including travel expenses to Chicago. The breakdown of expenses is listed below. We would like to ask you to sponsor one of our speakers with a donation of $2,500. If you are unable to fund the total cost, we would greatly appreciate your support of a portion of the expenses of one of our six speakers.

Honorarium $750.00
Airfare $600.00
Hotel (2 nights) $800.00
Misc. $350.00

Your support will be acknowledged at the time of the meetings. We also take this opportunity to invite you to this event. Our keynote speaker for the centennial will speak in April 2013. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event and we hope you will attend.

IRS Enters into Educational Materials Marketing Agreement with ACR

The IRS is entering into a marketing agreement to help sell ACR’s Educational Materials.  It will be on a one-year trial basis to see if it should be continued or expanded to include other chapters. The IRS will be given sales credit of 15% for those sales transactions designated by the use of the Marketing Code, ACRILRS. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the Illinois Radiological Society will collaborate with American College of Radiology in ACR’s efforts to market and sell ACR educational products to radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists.  Specifically, the Society may market and sell the ACR educational products listed below.  If you are purchasing any of the material listed, please use the ACRILRS marketing code to help the IRS continue its programs on behalf of its membership.

The applicable educational products include:

All automated programs on the ACR Campus, including:

All lectures series (currently more than 165 lectures in various series such as Grand Rounds, Cardiac Basic, etc.)

• The All*Access Pass
• Learning File On Line
• Dr. Challenger
• The Waiting Room
• Non-Clinical SAMS Programs (Currently 3)
• New lectures and automated programs posted periodically as developed.

CD-Based Programs

• ISA/Mammography Case Review Series (1-4+)
• Learning File CDs

Print Products

• Continuous Professional Improvement (CPI) Modular Series
• Professional Self Evaluation PSE/Syllabi) Series

Off-Site Meetings

• 4th Annual Body MRI – March 26-28, 2010
• 34th National Conference on Breast Cancer – April 9-11, 2010
• 3rd Annual PET/CT Update – Sept 24-26, 2010
• Quality Meeting – October 22-23, 2010