With the implementation of MACRA, the radiology industry will be able to quantify and, therefore, better assess the clinical need for these procedures and others like them. To ensure compliance with its new radiation dose-specific metrics, radiology departments are encouraged to build an effective radiation safety program to make this transition easier.
An important first step is to consider implementing dose management software that automates radiation dose tracking for real-time analysis, which pushes Technologists to constantly strive for better-informed, data-driven decisions. This also allows those in charge to oversee and make adjustments to the monitoring process by following each Technologist’s work over time, giving insight into which continuing education credits each individual would benefit from most.
Another advantage to dose tracking software, as is the case with MACRA: radiology departments who already understand and use similar metrics for improved patient care will have a much smoother adjustment to new compliance standards based on fixed radiation dose management metrics.
As the understanding of radiation dose management continues to grow, the radiology industry will need to work together to address the challenges that MACRA brings, while individual health systems must take care to ensure their radiology departments are outfitted with solutions to address the new requirements. By setting fixed metrics that effectively hinge the clinical justification of radiology exams on patient dose data, MACRA’s final ruling presents radiologists with an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the essential role radiology plays in patient care like never before.
About the author: Dominic Siewko is the Clinical Marketing Leader and former Radiation Safety Officer at PhilipsBack to HCB News
