American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification - Part IV: Practice Quality Improvement for radiation oncology

Maintenance of Certification is a physician-based response to public concerns about the quality of medical care and physician competency in a rapidly evolving, technically demanding specialty. The American Board of Radiology (ABR) has previously described the first three components of the Maintenance of Certification. The ABR is currently developing a program in practice performance, completing Part IV of the competencies. The Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) program is meant to critically evaluate meaningful aspects of a physician's practice in a simple manner, using identifiable metrics and self-assessment to include an action plan for quality improvement. Each diplomate will be expected to complete three PQI projects during a full 10-year Maintenance of Certification cycle. Current diplomates with time-limited certificates will find prorated requirements determined by their year of certification on the ABR Website. Diplomates will have the option of completing zero to two Type I PQI projects (assessing factors relevant to clinical practice by peer review and self-reporting) and one to three Type 11 projects (i.e., at least one Type 11 projects of the three required, assessing parameters of practice by comparison with evidence-based guidelines, consensus statements, or peer comparisons; Type 11 projects are initiated and managed by professional societies). Several examples of Type I projects that might be offered by societies or directly through the ABR are provided, as well as highlights of the two Type 11 projects that have sought ABR qualification: the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Performance Assessment for the Advancement of Radiation Oncology Treatment program and American College of Radiology's RO-PEER program. An additional objective of the PQI is to develop national databases for future reference using aggregate data from the PQI projects. (c) 2007 by The American Board of Radiology.