Diagnostic Imaging Centers of Excellence (Revised 11-12-25)

Revision History

The DICOE designation, awarded by the American College of Radiology (ACR), recognizes facilities that demonstrate superior diagnostic care, imaging practices, and patient safety. Achieving DICOE status elevates accreditation to the highest level, signifying that a center operates with exceptional quality standards.

DICOE Designation Tiers

Organizations may be recognized at one of three levels:

• DICOE: Meets foundational infrastructure and quality standards.
• DICOE with Distinction: Demonstrates outstanding performance in advanced domains.
• DICOE Pinnacle: Excels in outcomes across multiple advanced domains.

A multidisciplinary team—including radiologists, medical physicists, technologists, and quality improvement professionals—conducts the assessment and evaluate the site’s performance and awards the designation at the appropriate tier.

Criteria that a site will be assessed on are split into three parts.

• Eligibility criteria for consideration as a DICOE facility.
• Assessment of baseline criteria to validate that the site meets DICOE minimum standards.
• Assessment of advanced criteria for consideration of DICOE with Distinction or DICOE Pinnacle status designation.

Criteria span personnel qualifications, policies, equipment, quality improvement, patient safety, image quality, and overall care.

Benefits of DICOE

• Eligibility to participate in one ACR ImPower program
• 15% reduced fees for participation in ACR registries
• Continuous self-assessment opportunities
• Recognition among providers, payers, patients, and administrators
• Three-year designation period
• Customizable marketing and public relations materials
• Surveys can be conducted virtually

Participation Requirements

To apply for DICOE, organizations must:

1. Apply and pay applicable fees.
2. Complete a pre-DICOE survey: A virtual review by ACR staff to confirm eligibility.
3. Undergo a formal survey: Conducted by a team including a radiologist, medical physicist, and technologist or senior accreditation staff. Surveys are typically virtual but may be onsite if requested or deemed necessary (onsite surveys incur a travel fee).

Application 

Organizations may include multiple locations (hospital, outpatient, freestanding centers) under one application, provided they share: common governance, policies and procedures and radiologist group. A separate application and fee are required for each state. Organization will complete an application form that lists locations, accreditation status, registry participation, participation agreement and other information to demonstrate eligibility for DICOE. 

Please complete the application here: DICOE Application.

Eligibility Criteria

Any imaging provider—healthcare networks, hospitals, or freestanding centers—may apply, regardless of size or number of locations. All facilities included must:

1. Be ACR-accredited in all modalities offered and maintain accreditation throughout the three-year designation.
2. Participate in two applicable ACR NRDR registries, such as:
   • Dose Index Registry
   • GRID
   • National Mammography Database (NMD)
   • CT Colonography Registry
   • 3D Printing Registry
   • Lung Cancer Screening Registry

Note: Focused sites (e.g., breast imaging or pediatric sites) may only need to participate in one registry, subject to ACR review.

Please access NRDR Support Page for further information.

Pre-DICOE Survey

An ACR staff member conducts a virtual site visit to assess:

• Compliance with ACR accreditation standards
• Operational policies and procedures
• Quality management programs (radiation, MRI, patient safety)
• Physical care environment

Guidance is provided to address any gaps before proceeding to the full DICOE survey. Please see below for pre-DICOE toolkit PDF.

DICOE Survey to Review Advanced Criteria

Organizations that stretch beyond the baseline criteria can achieve a higher DICOE

designation tier, DICOE with Designation or DICOE Pinnacle. To assess if your site qualifies for the higher DICOE levels, an ACR survey team will meet with your designated staff, including radiologist, medical director, medical physicist, lead technologist and chief administrator. Additional staff may be interviewed as needed.

Please see complete DICOE program requirements below.

DICOE Payment Policy and Fees

1. DICOE defines Practice as a single hospital/group practice. If these locations are within one state, one application is sufficient. A single DICOE application includes a maximum of five locations within the state. Please calculate and submit the total application fee along with a copy of your application.
2. Multi-state Radiology practices must complete a separate application for each state.
3. Applicants agree to a pre- DICOE and DICOE virtual survey by a team that includes a radiologist, a medical physicist and ACR Staff.
4. If a facility/practice prefers an onsite DICOE survey, they need to agree to pay for the surveyor’s travel and expenses. The DICOE program will charge a flat fee of $4000 to cover the travel costs, regardless of the number of sites our team visits during the survey.
5. A facility can add additional locations/sites if they follow the same policies, modality protocols, and share the same radiologists group.
6. Upon completion of the DICOE application and payment your site is eligible to enroll one team for an ACR ImPower Program project for free. This is a $6,000 value. If your site is up for renewal within the next 12 months and would like to participate in this program email dicoe@acr.org.

Fee Table

Note: Mid-cycle is defined as 1.5 years from the date of DICOE designation. Any added locations mid-cycle will only be able to achieve base level DICOE. Added fees will apply. Contact dicoe@acr.org  for details.