Rationale, design, and goals of the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Consortium (ACIC): A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan collaborative quality improvement project.

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is an emerging noninvasive anatomical method for evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Multicenter clinical registries are key to efforts to establish the role of CCTA in CAD diagnosis and management. The Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Consortium (ACIC) is a statewide, multicenter collaborative quality initiative with the intent to establish quality and appropriate use of CCTA in Michigan.

Methods: The ACIC is sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network, and its 47 sites include imaging centers that offer CCTA and meet established structure and process standards for participation. Patients enrolled include those with suspected ischemia with or without known CAD, and individuals across the entire spectrum of CAD risk. Patient demographics, history, CCTA scan-related data and findings, and 90-day follow-up data are entered prospectively into a centralized database with strict validation tools and processes. Collaborative quality initiatives include radiation dose reduction and appropriate CCTA use by education and feedback to participating sites and referring physicians.

Conclusions: Across a wide range of institutions, the ACIC permits evaluation of "real-world" utilization and effectiveness of CCTA and examines an alternative, nontraditional approach to utilization management wherein physicians and payers collaborate to address the growing problem of cardiac imaging overutilization.