Quality and Safety
ASTRO accomplishes a key strategic goal of driving high quality by leading initiatives that enhance quality and safety, and developing resources that ultimately improve patient outcomes and the lives of people with cancer.
Quality Improvement Announcements
- NEW Case Study 19 shares a recent near miss in which an attentive radiation oncologist caught a treatment set up error for a patient ready to receive SBRT to the lumbar spine.
- Read the RO-ILS Themed Report: Dosimetrically Impactful Events that contains aggregate analysis comparing this cohort of severe events to the collective database and includes five specific case examples.
- A newly established artificial intelligence and/or machine learning ROhub community provides a platform for collaborative learning and professional networking. Share your experiences, inquire about pertinent topics and contribute to cultivating a dynamic network of professionals interested in this topic.
Accreditation
APEx, the fastest growing radiation oncology accreditation program in the United States, recognizes facilities by objectively assessing adherence to rigorous quality and safety standards to improve patient care and outcomes.
Data standards
Establishing robust radiation oncology data standards for seamless interoperability, enabling comprehensive data exchange, enhancing treatment quality, and fostering collaborative research, ultimately advancing patient care and outcomes.
PQI
Practice Quality Improvement is an integral part of the American Board of Radiology’s Maintenance of Certification program – APEx and RO-ILS templates help meet this educational requirement.
RO-ILS
RO-ILS is a free safety program that offers enrolled practices a ready-made portal to collect and analyze errors in a legally protected environment. Education based on the aggregate database facilitates quality improvement.
Safety is No Accident
This comprehensive reference guide was updated in 2019 to reflect the many recent efforts undertaken by radiation oncology specialty societies to improve quality and safety.
Measures
Measures are a mechanism to assess quality indicators in various aspects of the delivery of health care and may be used internally or externally with a direct link to physician reimbursement.
