Program Information

Professional Council Symposium: Practice Standards - Driving Forces, Benefits, Potential Pitfalls

P Halvorsen

J Hevezi

R Pizzutiello

M Pacella

P Halvorsen¹*, J Hevezi²*, R Pizzutiello³*, M Pacella⁴*, (1) Alliance Imaging/Alliance Oncology, Newton, MA, (2) ,Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, (3) Upstate Medical Physics, Victor, NY, (4) Finger Lakes Radiation Oncology, Farmington, NY

SU-B-BRB-1 Sunday 11:00:00 AM - 12:30:00 PM Room: Ballroom B

Recent coverage in the mainstream media has brought significant attention to the uses of ionizing radiation in medicine. This is not a transient concern, however. Many factors are contributing to this trend, in addition to the general public’s concern: ASTRO, ACR and AAPM have advocated clear practice guidelines and mandatory accreditation of all clinical programs in imaging and radiation therapy; payers’ requirements and/or assumptions about physicist support for billable procedures, including physicist credentials and supervision; ASTRO’s White Paper series on patient safety, which have included a significant focus on staffing; and some states’ requirements for external audits of clinical programs.

At the end of this presentation, participants will:
1. Understand the convergence of external factors that are driving the trend toward minimum practice standards, including CMS assumptions about physicist supervision of certain procedures;
2. Understand the effect of this trend in imaging, particularly the impact on community clinics and consulting physicists; and
3. Understand the impact in radiation oncology, particularly on free-standing and small community centers.
4. Understand the AAPM’s multi-faceted approach to ensuring that medical physicists can shape the future of clinical medical physics practice.


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