How to Create a Quality Assurance Program for Radiation Safety in Interventional Radiology

The practice of medicine is becoming increasingly complex with regard to its economic and academic aspects. In a climate of increasing cutbacks and reduced reimbursements, health care providers are being held more accountable for proving that the services they render are top quality and worthy of the cost of the care provided. Furthermore, patient safety is currently in the public eye and a driving force behind the Pay for Performance initiative. Therefore, quality assurance programs and practice quality improvement systems have been developed to promote patient safety, improve current practice patterns, and help practitioners maintain their board certification. This article very briefly describes one simple example of a radiation safety quality assurance program.

Keywords: radiation safety, practice quality improvement, maintenance of certification, quality assurance