title: Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography: Evolving Applications in the Era of Value-Based Healthcare.
abstract: The current climate in healthcare is increasingly emphasizing a value-based approach to diagnostic testing. Cardiac imaging, including echocardiography, has been a primary target of ongoing reforms in healthcare delivery and reimbursement. The Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for echocardiography is a physician-derived tool intended to guide utilization in optimal patient care. To date, the AUC have primarily been employed solely as justification for reimbursement, though evolving broader applications to guide clinical decision-making suggest a far more valuable role in the delivery of high-quality and high-value healthcare.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC6080, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Amita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology, University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC6080, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. pward@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: R Parker
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D057791:Cardiac Imaging Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012040:Regional Health Planning; D062505:Value-Based Purchasing
keywords: Appropriate use; Echocardiography; Healthcare policy