Incidental findings protocol nets 99% resolution rate: Northwestern

Implementation of an automated notification system enabled Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine’s radiology department to maintain a case resolution rate above 99% for incidental finding reports, according to a study published Sept. 3 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. 

The researchers analyzed more than 25,000 incidental finding reports flagged by radiologists through an EMR-based notification system between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2023. 

Here are five things to know from the study:

1. Over the study period, the number of incidental finding reports flagged through the system grew about 21.44% per year, averaging at 2,797 cases per year and 233 cases per month.
2. Case resolution rates fell under 99% for only two months during the study period.
3. Incidental findings were most common in the lungs at 19.31%, followed by the brain and kidney at 7.29% and 7.17%, respectively.
4. CT imaging was the modality most associated with incidental findings at 53.99%, followed by MRI, radiographs and ultrasound at 20.34%, 18.17% and 7.49%, respectively.
5. “We successfully implemented an incidental findings reporting protocol with strong provider uptake and case resolution,” the study authors wrote. “As imaging volumes continue to rise, structured follow-up systems are increasingly critical for hospitals.”

Read the full study here.

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