With its diagnostic accuracy and absence of radiation exposure, ultrasound is now poised to make a larger and more positive impact on musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine, the latest of the fields to recognize the clinical and economic benefits of ultrasound. Recognizing the gains to be made in both cost reduction and patient safety, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently designing the implementation of Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for medical imaging that favors ultrasound as the initial procedure of choice for several applications. These criteria go into effect January 1, 2017.
 
The lag between solid evidence of ultrasound’s advantages for MSK and its widespread adoption is largely born of inertia, which has allowed the companies that develop the technology to address remaining technical barriers to use.
 
Ultrasound in MSK: Why and When?
The literature is very clear that for many musculoskeletal applications, ultrasound should be the preferred technique for initial evaluations. For example, since as far back as 1984, numerous studies have shown ultrasound’s accuracy in recognizing t