American Brachytherapy Society Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model Task Force: Quality Measures and Metrics for Brachytherapy.

Authors

Chirag Shah
Frank Vicini, Beaumont Health
Sushil Beriwal
Nikhil Thaker
Steven J. Frank
Peter Rossi
Peter Orio
Albert J. Chang
Nikhil Joshi
Shauna R. Campbell

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2022

Publication Title

Brachytherapy

Abstract

PURPOSE: Brachytherapy is an essential technique to deliver radiation therapy and is involved in the treatment of multiple disease sites as monotherapy or as an adjunct to external beam radiation therapy. With a growing focus on the cost and value of cancer treatments as well as new payment models, it is essential that standardized quality measures and metrics exist to allow for straightforward assessment of brachytherapy quality and for the development of clinically significant and relevant clinical data elements. We present the American Brachytherapy Society consensus statement on quality measures and metrics for brachytherapy as well as suggested clinical data elements.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Members of the American Brachytherapy Society with expertise in disease site specific brachytherapy created a consensus statement based on a literature review and clinical experience.

RESULTS: Key quality measures (ex. workup, clinical indications), dosimetric metrics, and clinical data elements for brachytherapy were evaluated for each modality including breast cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, keratinocyte carcinoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and uveal melanoma.

CONCLUSIONS: This consensus statement provides standardized quality measures and dosimetric quality metrics as well as clinical data elements for each disease site to allow for standardized assessments of brachytherapy quality. Moving forward, a similar paradigm can be considered for external beam radiation therapy as well, providing comprehensive radiation therapy quality measures, metrics, and clinical data elements that can be incorporated into new payment models.

Volume

21

Issue

1

First Page

63

Last Page

74

Recommended Citation

Shah C, Vicini F, Beriwal S, Thaker N, Frank SJ, Rossi P, et al. American Brachytherapy Society radiation oncology alternative payment model task force: quality measures and metrics for brachytherapy. Brachytherapy. 2022 Jan-Feb;21(1):63-74. doi: 10.1016/j.brachy.2021.10.003. PMID: 34732290.

DOI

10.1016/j.brachy.2021.10.003

ISSN

1873-1449

PubMed ID

34732290