Structured Reporting: The Value Concept for Radiologists

Narrative reporting has been the mainstay of the radiologist’s work for as long as the domain of radiology has been in existence. Structured radiology reporting, containing coded and consistent information, will facilitate information exchange in the digital health record. This chapter will define structured reporting, review recent legislation that incentivizes structured reporting, and discuss the quality and value propositions that are supported by structured reporting. Constrained vocabularies and coded terminologies, including the American College of Radiology’s disease-specific Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (IRADS) and the Radiological Society of North America’s RadLex™, are described. Data exchange tools including the Management of Radiology Report Templates (MRRT) and Common Data Elements (CDEs) are discussed. Benefits of machine learning from report analysis are discussed. Limitations to implementation and realizing the full benefits of structured reporting are also acknowledged.