Looking ahead to 2017

By Bette Drescher, CRA

It is customary for the newly elected Radiology Administration Certification Commission (RACC) Chair to write the kickoff article each January. I am honored to have been elected to serve as RACC Chair for 2017, and in keeping with tradition, I want to start by recognizing the team that I have been chosen to lead. I also want to recognize Bruce Hammond, CRA, FAHRA, for his years of service on the commission. This will be my first year serving without Bruce’s wise counsel, and I so appreciate that he has offered to continue on as a mentor behind the scenes. As he noted himself in his Link article last January, he is the “history chair” of the commission as well as an inspiring leader. Thank you, Bruce, for all you have done over the years to inspire enthusiasm for the CRA credential.

The 2017 officers and RACC members are listed below:

I have been fortunate to have worked alongside Brenda and Chris for several years. I got to know David and Sheryl a bit more last year, and am looking forward to establishing relationships with Cindy and Curtis. It is always a highlight for the RACC to meet in person at the AHRA Annual Meeting, and I hope to see many of you there again this year.

During our January meeting, we discussed how we might choose fewer goals and invest our energy into seeing them through to decide if they are beyond the scope of the RACC or to see them through to implementation. Our agenda for the upcoming February RACC meeting includes finalizing the 2017 RACC goals and committee assignments (Finance, Marketing, and Nominations).

In our February call, each commissioner will have 5-10 minutes to present the goal they are recommending and are passionate about, and the team will then decide which goals are most pertinent to the needs of our members for 2017. Among the goals that will be presented for discussion are: increasing CRA recognition with The Joint Commission to determine if there is a link between scores for locations led both by CRA and non-CRA; getting the CRA accepted as credit for college coursework; reviewing/updating the CRA practice tests; determining if we have the right cadence for CRA exam cycles; and identifying which geographic locations within the US are not well represented by CRAs.

In March, we will release the finalized goals for your reference and will keep you updated on our progress throughout the year. As we progress with our work, please feel free to reach out to any of your RACC Commissioners with ideas or questions. Remember, we are here to represent YOU and your needs – we will continue to grow in numbers, and our profession will only get stronger with each new CRA we add!

Better Drescher, CRA is the chair of the Radiology Administration Certification Commission (RACC). She is the director of radiology services at Group Health-Bellevue Medical Center in Bellevue, WA and can be reached at drescher.bette@ghc.org.