ASTRO uses VisionTree Outcomes Online™ for PAAROT PQI / Maintenance of Certification Program

The American Board of Radiology convened its fourth Maintenance of Certification summit in August 2007. ASTRO, the American Brachytherapy Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, ADROP, the American Radium Society and the Quality Research in Radiation Oncology participated in workshops to further define the specific s of practice quality improvement for radiation oncologists. PQI enables individuals to fulfill the Part IV requirement for MOC through a series of three projects over 10 years. Specific elements for each project include relevance to patient care, relevance to patient care, relevance to diplomate's practice, identifiable metrics and/or measurable endpoints, and an action plan to address areas for improvement and subsequent re-measurement to assess progress and/or improvement.

Of the three PQI projects, one or two projects may be Type 1, which are individually based projects reported through self-attestation on his or her ABR personal database, located at www.abronline.org. early examples of Type 1 projects can include enrolling patients on national protocols where central quality assessment of radiation therapy provides feedback to the individual or retrospective reviews of treatment policies and/or outcomes related to radiation oncologist's practice in a specific disease setting. Upon completion of the project, the diplomate must confirm incorporation of all PQI elements by completing the attestation form in the personal database. The ABR anticipates that this function will be available in 2008.

Other Type 1 projects may be based on ABR-endorsed templates likely to be developed by several of the radiation oncology-related societies. These templates may guide the diplomate in completing Type 1 PQI projects and will be listed on the ABR Web site once they are available.

At least one of the diplomate's projects during the 10-year MOC cycle will need to be a Type 2 project. Type 2 projects are initiated by medical societies or organizations and must be submitted to the ABR for qualification. ASTRO's PAAROT program is Type 2 PQI as defined by the ABR. A chart review-based project incorporating basic elements of medical practice and specific elements related to radiation oncology, it is currently being tested in five sites: the University of Pennsylvania, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - Orlando, Emory University, Duke University and the Cancer Center at Lake Manassas in Gainesville, Va. These radiation oncology sites have provided invaluable feedback to ASTRO on how to improve and update the content and functionality, and ASTRO is indebted to them for their commitment.

PAAROT is a cost-effective and simple Wed-based practice assessment program using sophisticated technology and outcomes. PAAROT enables ASTRO to collect aggregate data reflecting the practice of radiation oncology that can be used to establish contemporary national benchmarks. PAAROT received full qualification as a Type 2 project by the ABR in October 2007. The program will roll out to membership in early 2008.

For more information on PAAROT, contact: education@astro.org.