Any radiologists who braved the crowds last week to snag an iPad now have a potentially useful tool to run on it.

The American College of Radiology just announced that an application hosting their appropriateness criteria can now be accessed on the iPad, as well as on most smart phones. These guidelines help radiologists and referring physicians decide when and how best to image or deliver radiation treatment to a patient.

Dubbed the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Anytime, Anywhere app, it was launched April 1 for a trio of Apple products, the iPad, iPhone and iTouch, as well as the Blackberry, Palm and other hand-held devices.

The now-portable guidelines, based on ACR's most recent 2009 edition, illustrate around 160 clinical topics such as breast, cardiac, neurologic and musculoskeletal.

The program was developed with Skyscape, a 10-year-old medical information company based in Marlborough, Mass.

Subscriptions run from $21.95 for a 4-month plan, to $126.95 for a 3-year one, with discounts available for ACR members and possibly for groups, according to David Kurth, an ACR staffer who worked on the project. Subscribers also get all updates released during the time of their subscription for free, he says.

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