Component four: Practice Quality Improvement (PQI)

ABR articles on Practice Quality Improvement have been published for radiation oncologists.
Download the .pdf

Radiation oncology diplomates will participate in a Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) program to fulfill their Part IV requirements. Each diplomate must complete three PQI projects during the 10-year period: each project must include the following elements:

             Relevance to patient care
             Relevance to diplomate's practice
             Identifiable metrics and/or measurable endpoints
             Practice guidelines and technical standards
             An action plan to address areas for improvement and
subsequent remeasurement to assess progress and/or
improvement

One or two of the projects may be Type 1, which are individually based projects qualified by self-attestation of the diplomate. Type 1 projects may be generated by the physician or his/her department or institution. The individual's practice elements are central to a PQI project. Attestation is available on the Personal Database (PDB) .

Examples of Type 1 projects are outlined in the IJROBP article describing PQI and may include:

• Enrolling patients on national protocols where central quality assessment of radiation therapy provides feedback to the individual or department; or
• A retrospective review of treatment policies and/or outcomes related to a radiation oncologist's practice in a specific disease setting.

Upon completion of the project, the diplomate confirms incorporation of all PQI elements by completing the attestation form in the PDB.

Other Type 1 projects may be based on an ABR-endorsed, society-provided template, which fulfills the essential elements of a PQI project. These templates are available through the societies' websites. See the list here .

At least one of the diplomate's projects during the 10-year MOC cycle shall be Type 2. These are society-based projects with more robust structure which have been qualified in advance by the ABR as meeting all Part IV requirements and contribute to developing national databases relevant to radiation oncology. Type 2 projects qualified by the ABR are listed here .

Many helpful reading resources on PQI are available, including the ABR's published articles for radiation oncologists.
See the list here .

Examples of program resources that you may find helpful in learning about quality improvement include:

• Online or in person courses (including college, institutional, and commercial courses, e.g., Lean Management, Six Sigma)
• Society-sponsored CME offerings
• Institutional courses

Prorated Cycles

The requirements for MOC are based on the year in which you received your certificate. To see your particular schedule, go to Timelines and Fees .