CTC Registry Startup Guide

Thank you for your interest in joining the CT Colonography (CTC) Registry!  We hope this step-by-step Start-up Guide helps you to get underway with submitting your data and to obtain the most value out of your registry participation. 

The following steps pertain to getting underway with the CTC Registry and include links to articles in Knowledge Base, the National Radiology Data Registry (NRDR) user guide.  

The NRDR Team welcomes suggestions for how we can improve this guide and your overall experience with CTC Registry start up and ongoing participation.  Please send your suggestions and comments to [email protected].

I. Assemble Your Team

Bringing together a team comprised of individuals who can contribute varied expertise will help ensure a successful launch and continued operation of the CTC Registry at your institution. Examples of potential roles are briefly described below.

• Physician Champion: reviews CTC imaging protocols to ensure compliance with: ACR-SAR-SCBT-MR Practice Parameter for the Performance of Computed Tomography (CT) Colonography in Adults (Revised 2019) and reviews dictation template for the inclusion of necessary data points (View PDF of the case registration and exam forms for variables recorded.)

• Data Coordinator:  manages data collection and submission to the CTC registry (See options in section IV). This individual typically has access to medical records including imaging reports from which data points are extracted. Depending on your practice, you may find that a CT technologist, nurse navigator, or CTC coordinator may be the best fit for this role on your team. 

• NRDR Administrator(s): manages accounts and assign NRDR user roles as described in the following NRDR Knowledge Base articles.

  • Facility Accounts and Profiles

  • Identify Corporate Account and Facility Administrators

II. Complete the Application Process and Create an NRDR Account

Facilities new to NRDR wishing to participate in the CTC Registry must complete the application process.  NRDR Knowledge Base articles provide step-by-step instructions.

• Items You’ll Need to Register

• The Application Process

III. Get Your Team Signed Up with ACR Login

Team members who will need to access the NRDR portal to manage accounts, enter data or review performance reports will need ACR Login credentials. ACR Login enables users to enter their login credentials one time on a single page to access all their ACR applications. 

Certain ACR Login applications, such as NRDR, require Multifactor Authentication (MFA). MFA necessitates users entering an additional piece of information when logging in for enhanced data security, making it harder for user accounts to become compromised.

IV. Become Familiar with Options for Submitting Data

Before entering case or exam data, review the Knowledge Base article CTC Data Submission Overview to learn about: 

• Data collected in the Exam form

• Options for submitting data: Manual data entry, data file upload, web-based data transmission 

• An example workflow for manual data entry.

Should you encounter technical issues with set up or need assistance, please open a ticket with the NRDR Help Desk.

V. Review Your Reports

Review the CTC Registry Available Reports Knowledge Base article to become familiar with the reports that can help you confirm the data submitted is correctly recorded in the database and to review your facility’s results. Many facilities review reports quarterly or bi-annually, depending upon CTC volume, to ensure data submitted are being received and to observe performance patterns over time for quality improvement purposes.

Facilities using the data file upload method to submit their data can review their upload results with the online Upload Error Report.  

VI. Chart Your Progress

Print the following checklist to chart your progress or download a Word file template

to tailor the checklist to your needs.

Last reviewed: 05/06/2021