Appropriate Use Criteria for the Use of Nuclear Medicine in Musculoskeletal Infection Imaging

Appropriate use criteria (AUC) are statements that contain indications describing when and how often an intervention should be performed under the optimal combination of scientific evidence, clinical judgment, and patient values while avoiding unnecessary provisions of services. Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is a qualified provider-led entity under the Medicare AUC program for advanced diagnostic imaging, allowing referring physicians to use SNMMI AUC to fulfill the requirements of the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act. SNMMI follows a balanced multidisciplinary approach to guidance development by including various stakeholders in the development process. For background and a detailed explanation of this development process, see http://www.snmmi.org/ClinicalPractice/content.aspx?ItemNumber=15665. The full version of this document, including information on methodology, conflicts of interest, benefits and arms, definition of terms list of external reviewers, and additional special commentary, is available at www.snmmi.org/auc. This article is a summary of the complete text of the AUC, which is available at www.snmmi.org/auc.