RANZCR Chapter 9: What it means for your practice

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists recently published Chapter 9 of their Standards of Practice, establishing formal expectations for how radiology practices should govern AI tools used in clinical workflows. This is the first time a specialist medical college in Australia has issued binding guidance specifically addressing AI governance in diagnostic imaging.

At its core, Chapter 9 requires practices to maintain a register of all AI tools in clinical use, document their intended purpose, and ensure that radiologists retain final interpretive authority over AI-assisted findings. The standard also mandates regular performance monitoring, with practices expected to track concordance rates between AI outputs and radiologist determinations. These requirements align closely with CAIOS Domains 01 (Tool Registration) and 03 (Performance Monitoring), making CAIOS-compliant practices well-positioned to meet the new standard.

For practices that have not yet formalised their AI governance, the deadline creates urgency. The standard expects documented policies, assigned governance responsibilities, and evidence of ongoing oversight. Practices relying on informal processes or ad-hoc tool adoption will need to establish structured frameworks. Attest automates much of this: tool registration, policy generation, compliance tracking, and evidence collection are built into the platform.

The practical implication is clear. Regulatory bodies, insurers, and courts will increasingly reference Chapter 9 when evaluating whether a practice met its standard of care. Having a documented governance trail is no longer optional; it is the baseline expectation. Practices that act now will be ahead of the curve when enforcement begins.