RICO Listserv
The Research Imaging Collaboration Office (RICO) listserv is used as the primary means for communicating news, events, and system updates to departments utilizing RICO services. The listserv is a strictly moderated list with all messages originating from or being sent by RICO. There is no community forum or open discussion on the listserv.
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RICO FAQs
How are SOC procedures requiring submission of images to core labs managed?
- There is no change to the current process. Outside departments are responsible for obtaining images and forwarding them as needed to core labs.
Are rescans of SOC procedures repeated for research because they are outside of the study windows exempt from the charges and RICO submission?
- NMH Billing is not affected by the RICO process. SOC procedures repeated for research purposes will be billed per the established NMHC process with standard CPT codes as required for the purposes of the study.
- RICO will have an initial fee for review, amendment fee for major protocol or budget changes, and additional support service as noted on the memo.
Are the RICO fees required for NM and NU procedures – i.e. CAMRI/CTI and NMH MRIs?
- RICO fees will be applicable to research studies utilizing Radiology imaging services at NMH. If the research study only utilizes Northwestern University core facility resources at CTI, the study will be referred to CTI to follow their registration process and scanning fees.
Are these Northwestern Memorial Hospital or Northwestern University fees?
- These are Northwestern University (NU) fees.
Is overhead (indirect costs+ F&A) included in the fees or does it need to be added?
- Our rates are not inclusive of overhead. Departments should budget accordingly for overhead.
Will RICO provide detailed budget templates for Study Tracker entry?
- We will provide a detailed study budget which will include all RICO associated fees. Departments will still need to create a study-specific detailed budget and include the imaging CPT codes provided by Northwestern Medicine Office of Research. This process is unchanged from standard practice.
Studies frequently allow for MRI or CT depending on physician preference and patient tolerance. Are administrative fees applied to both tests?
- Administrative fees do not apply to MRI or CT scans. Please refer to the RICO fee schedule for tier pricing. If MRI and CT review is required, this study will fall under “multi-modality” review and the appropriate fee will apply.
What is the expected turnaround time for study review/approval?
- The expected turnaround time is 15 business days.
How will Medical Imaging Personnel training be tracked and billed?
- NU faculty training will be billed at a rate of $110/hour via NUcore. NM technologists training will be billed at a rate of $110/hour via NMH billing process.
Will RICO facilitate trainings and obtain ongoing regulatory documents for assigned radiology personnel(i.e., CVs, ML, HSP)??
- No, outside departments are still responsible for facilitating training and maintaining regulatory documents.
If required by the study, will RICO support assignment of a radiology physician lead to add to Delegation of Authority logs and IRB?
- If a radiologist becomes a Co-Investigator, per IRB rules that person would be added to the IRB study and to DOA logs. Through the RICO evaluation process, the review committee will help identify a radiology Co-Investigator if deemed appropriate/necessary for each study.
Does a single submission facilitate support across all NMHC institutions – i.e. Lake Forest, CDH…
- No, RICO is currently unable to provide support for satellite hospitals.
For multiple studies with one sponsor using the same scanning protocol – are we subject to review/RICO submission for each study
- Yes, each study will require RICO review. If certain additional support services are not required due to the same scanning protocol being used, those fees will not apply.
What is a research analysis report? A physician read? If so, why is this charge per hour instead of per report?
- RICO determined an hourly rate was most appropriate due to the varying needs of each study.
- Fees for the analysis report would cover NU personnel as they would be performing this work. These fees will only be charged where applicable. A few notes for this additional support service fee:
- A standard clinical read is required for the study. A Standard workflow via Epic would apply and the read will be billed via standard CPT code and included in the letter of support provided to the outside department. No additional research analysis fees will apply.
- A study that includes a Radiology co-investigator with percent effort requires an additional or non-standard of care read, meaning study-specific information/requirements are needed. A Fee for research analysis report will not apply because this work is accounted for in the Radiology co-investigator's effort for the study.
- A study without a Radiology co-investigator requires a non-standard read. A Research analysis report will apply and the fee will be listed on the letter of support provided to the outside departments.
How are same procedures managed if completed via radiology and outside radiology? – carotid stents are one example
- The RICO evaluation process only covers radiology services. This will not impact how work is done in outside departments.
What is the expected turnaround time for phantom scans? There has previously been longer waits to get these to be completed.
- This is dependent on the availability of scanners which is impacted by the clinical schedule.
The Study Intake Form is extensive - the study information is included in the protocol, the imaging information is typically not clear to the non-radiology personnel – can RICO assist as part of the administrative fees?
- We understand the intake form is extensive, but the up-front effort will streamline the review process and generation of the detailed study budget. Currently, the study intake process is not standardized and centrally managed which has led to significant delays for prior imaging studies. The new RICO process aims to ensure the project's success and streamline study start-up.