Academic Journal
Προβολή σε EDS

Impact of Maintenance of Certification in Radiation Oncology on Utilization and Medicare Costs.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Impact of Maintenance of Certification in Radiation Oncology on Utilization and Medicare Costs.
Συγγραφείς: Kole TP; Rutgers University, School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ, United States (T.P.K., A.H.); Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, 480 Red Hill Road, Middletown, NJ 07748, United States (T.P.K.). Electronic address: kolet@mskcc.org., Heuer A; Rutgers University, School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ, United States (T.P.K., A.H.).
Πηγή: Academic radiology [Acad Radiol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 33 (8), pp. 3156-3166. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 15.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Association Of University Radiologists Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9440159 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-4046 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10766332 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Acad Radiol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Reston Va : Association Of University Radiologists
Original Publication: Reston, VA : Association of University Radiologists, c1994-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Radiation Oncology*/economics , Radiation Oncology*/standards , Medicare*/economics , Health Care Costs*/statistics & numerical data , Certification*, United States ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies
Περίληψη: Rationale and Objectives: This study aims to test the hypothesis that participation in American Board of Radiology (ABR) maintenance of certification (MOC) among radiation oncologists is associated with greater utilization of contemporary radiation therapy techniques, shorter treatment courses, and differences in Medicare spending.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the 2022 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Part B Public Use File was conducted. Radiation oncologist data was extracted and linked to ABR certification and MOC. Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes were analyzed to determine technique-specific utilization rates and Medicare costs by MOC. Average treatment course length was approximated using a treatment duration index (TDI) derived from professional treatment-management billing codes; TDI was used as a practice-level surrogate and not a direct measure of delivered fractions.
Results: Nearly all (98.7%) time-limited ABR radiation oncology diplomates identified participated in MOC, whereas 9.3% of lifetime certificate holders voluntarily participated. MOC participants more frequently used advanced radiation techniques including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy. Mean TDI was lower for MOC participants vs nonparticipants (2.9 vs 3.3). Multivariable analysis demonstrated non-significant lower Medicare professional costs per physician for MOC participants ($107,000 vs $113,000), and significantly lower (-10.31%) Medicare costs per radiation treatment course.
Conclusion: Voluntary MOC participation among lifetime ABR-certified radiation oncologists is low. MOC participating radiation oncologists demonstrate greater adoption of advanced techniques and shorter treatment courses, and lower treatment-level spending intensity, whereas differences in total physician-level Medicare spending were modest and not statistically significant. MOC participation may be an indicator of practice-pattern differences in radiation oncology.
(Copyright © 2026 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Thomas P. Kole reports a relationship with American Board of Radiology that includes: board membership. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Board certification; Lifetime certification; Maintenance of certification
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260515 Date Completed: 20260723 Latest Revision: 20260723
Update Code: 20260724
DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2026.04.031
PMID: 42140782
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2026.04.031?
    Name: ScienceDirect (all content) (s7799221)
    Category: fullText
    Text: View record from ScienceDirect
    MouseOverText: View record from ScienceDirect
Header DbId: cmedm
DbLabel: MEDLINE
An: 42140782
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Impact of Maintenance of Certification in Radiation Oncology on Utilization and Medicare Costs.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Kole+TP%22">Kole TP</searchLink>; Rutgers University, School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ, United States (T.P.K., A.H.); Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, 480 Red Hill Road, Middletown, NJ 07748, United States (T.P.K.). Electronic address: kolet@mskcc.org.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Heuer+A%22">Heuer A</searchLink>; Rutgers University, School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ, United States (T.P.K., A.H.).
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%229440159%22">Academic radiology</searchLink> [Acad Radiol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 33 (8), pp. 3156-3166. <i>Date of Electronic Publication: </i>2026 May 15.
– Name: TypePub
  Label: Publication Type
  Group: TypPub
  Data: Journal Article
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Journal Info
  Group: Src
  Data: <i>Publisher: </i><searchLink fieldCode="PB" term="%22Association+Of+University+Radiologists%22">Association Of University Radiologists </searchLink><i>Country of Publication: </i>United States <i>NLM ID: </i>9440159 <i>Publication Model: </i>Print-Electronic <i>Cited Medium: </i>Internet <i>ISSN: </i>1878-4046 (Electronic) <i>Linking ISSN: </i><searchLink fieldCode="IS" term="%2210766332%22">10766332 </searchLink><i>NLM ISO Abbreviation: </i>Acad Radiol <i>Subsets: </i>MEDLINE
– Name: PublisherInfo
  Label: Imprint Name(s)
  Group: PubInfo
  Data: <i>Publication</i>: Reston Va : Association Of University Radiologists<br /><i>Original Publication</i>: Reston, VA : Association of University Radiologists, c1994-
– Name: SubjectMESH
  Label: MeSH Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Radiation+Oncology%22">Radiation Oncology*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Radiation+Oncology+economics%22">economics</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Radiation+Oncology%22">Radiation Oncology*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Radiation+Oncology+standards%22">standards</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Medicare%22">Medicare*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Medicare+economics%22">economics</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Health+Care+Costs%22">Health Care Costs*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Health+Care+Costs+statistics+%26+numerical+data%22">statistics & numerical data</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Certification%22">Certification*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Humans%22">Humans</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Retrospective+Studies%22">Retrospective Studies</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Rationale and Objectives: This study aims to test the hypothesis that participation in American Board of Radiology (ABR) maintenance of certification (MOC) among radiation oncologists is associated with greater utilization of contemporary radiation therapy techniques, shorter treatment courses, and differences in Medicare spending.<br />Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the 2022 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Part B Public Use File was conducted. Radiation oncologist data was extracted and linked to ABR certification and MOC. Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes were analyzed to determine technique-specific utilization rates and Medicare costs by MOC. Average treatment course length was approximated using a treatment duration index (TDI) derived from professional treatment-management billing codes; TDI was used as a practice-level surrogate and not a direct measure of delivered fractions.<br />Results: Nearly all (98.7%) time-limited ABR radiation oncology diplomates identified participated in MOC, whereas 9.3% of lifetime certificate holders voluntarily participated. MOC participants more frequently used advanced radiation techniques including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy. Mean TDI was lower for MOC participants vs nonparticipants (2.9 vs 3.3). Multivariable analysis demonstrated non-significant lower Medicare professional costs per physician for MOC participants ($107,000 vs $113,000), and significantly lower (-10.31%) Medicare costs per radiation treatment course.<br />Conclusion: Voluntary MOC participation among lifetime ABR-certified radiation oncologists is low. MOC participating radiation oncologists demonstrate greater adoption of advanced techniques and shorter treatment courses, and lower treatment-level spending intensity, whereas differences in total physician-level Medicare spending were modest and not statistically significant. MOC participation may be an indicator of practice-pattern differences in radiation oncology.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
  Group: Ab
  Data: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Thomas P. Kole reports a relationship with American Board of Radiology that includes: board membership. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
– Name: SubjectMinor
  Label: Contributed Indexing
  Group:
  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>Board certification; Lifetime certification; Maintenance of certification
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date(s)
  Group: Date
  Data: <i>Date Created: </i>20260515 <i>Date Completed: </i>20260723 <i>Latest Revision: </i>20260723
– Name: DateUpdate
  Label: Update Code
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260724
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1016/j.acra.2026.04.031
– Name: AN
  Label: PMID
  Group: ID
  Data: 42140782
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=cmedm&AN=42140782
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.acra.2026.04.031
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        StartPage: 3156
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: United States
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Humans
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Retrospective Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Radiation Oncology economics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Radiation Oncology standards
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medicare economics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health Care Costs statistics & numerical data
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Certification
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Impact of Maintenance of Certification in Radiation Oncology on Utilization and Medicare Costs.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kole TP
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Heuer A
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: 2026 Aug
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1878-4046
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 33
            – Type: issue
              Value: 8
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Academic radiology
              Type: main
ResultId 1