Call Radiation Oncology Associates

APEx Standards

Standards of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx)

Standard 1: Patient Evaluation, Care Coordination and Follow-up
The Radiation Oncologist is accountable for patient evaluation, ongoing assessment and follow-up, as well as for coordinating and communicating with other providers involved in the patient’s care.

Standard 2: Treatment Planning
The radiation oncology practice uses a written treatment planning directive resulting in a patient-specific treatment plan.

Standard 3: Patient-specific Safety Interventions and Safe Practices in Treatment Preparation and Delivery
The radiation oncology team follows standard operating procedures to ensure patient safety and consistent high-quality care prior to and during radiation therapy.

Standard 4: Staff Roles and Accountabilities
The radiation oncology practice defines the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team and consistently implements procedures according to these definitions.

Standard 5: Qualifications and Ongoing Training of Staff
The radiation oncology practice establishes and monitors qualifications and training requirements for all personnel to ensure initial and continuous competency in job requirements.

Standard 6: Safe Staffing Plan
The radiation oncology practice establishes, measures and maintains staffing requirements for safe operations in clinical radiation therapy.

Standard 7: Culture of Safety
The radiation oncology practice fosters a culture of safety in which all team members participate in assuring safety, the practice capitalizes on opportunities to improve safety and no reprisals are taken for staff that report safety concerns.

Standard 8: Radiation Safety
The radiation oncology practice establishes safe radiation practices for all patients and staff.

Standard 9: Emergency Preparation and Planning
The radiation oncology practice has procedures and training for emergency contingencies that address short- and long- term patient and staff safety.

Standard 10: Facility and Equipment
The radiation oncology practice has a facility and equipment to support the delivery of safe, high quality care.

Standard 11: Information Management and Integration of Systems
The radiation oncology practice maintains information management systems to support patient care, planning and documentation, and assures safety and interoperability of the systems.

Standard 12: Quality Management of Treatment Procedures and Modalities
The radiation oncology practice operates a comprehensive quality management program and safe practices for each treatment procedure and modality.

Standard 13: Peer Review of Clinical Processes
The radiation oncology practice implements a robust program to provide peer-to-peer learning that promotes continuous quality improvement in treatment practices.

Standard 14: Patient Consent
The radiation oncology practice implements a written procedure regarding education of patients on the risks and benefits of radiation therapy treatment and documentation of consent for treatment.

Standard 15: Patient Education and Health Management
The radiation oncology practice educates the patient and assists the patient in managing side effects.

Standard 16: Performance Measurement and Outcomes Reporting
The radiation oncology practice measures and evaluates the patient experience and takes actions to improve performance.