title: Shifting the focus to practice quality improvement in radiation oncology.
abstract: To demonstrate how the American College of Radiology, Quality Research in Radiation Oncology (QRRO) process survey database can serve as an evidence base for assessing quality of care in radiation oncology. QRRO has drawn a stratified random sample of radiation oncology facilities in the USA and invited those facilities to participate in a Process Survey. Information from a prior QRRO Facilities Survey has been used along with data collected under the current National Process Survey to calculate national averages and make statistically valid inferences for national process measures for selected cancers in which radiation therapy plays a major role. These measures affect outcomes important to patients and providers and measure quality of care. QRRO's survey data provides national benchmark data for numerous quality indicators. The Process Survey is "fully qualified" as a Practice Quality Improvement project by the American Board of Radiology under its Maintenance of Certification requirements for radiation oncology and radiation physics.
authors.affiliation: American College of Radiology (ACR), Quality Research in Radiation Oncology (QRRO), Philadelphia, PA, USA. ccrozier@acr.org
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crozier
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erickson-Wittmann
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Movsas
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Najma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: J Frank
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D058996:Quality Improvement; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: benchmarking/best practices; data collection/ management; quality measures; radiation oncology survey