Medical Physics
Remote, Locum, Full Service, Commissioning, Shielding Testing, Peer Review & Accreditation Packages
Remote
These days with electronic medical records many of the routine and initial checks of patient charts are done by a physicist sitting in an office or at a workspace in front of a computer. Communication to the therapists and dosimetrists can occur by walking to where they are or by calling and talking to them. Situations like this allow work to be completed essentially from anywhere. By hiring OPS to do the routine checks, you can free up your on-site staff or contractual physicist to work on more involved, complex issues and projects.
We all know the number of patients under treatment can vary significantly from time to time, let us share the workload in your busy times and set us back on the shelf during your slow times. We will be ready to go again at a moment’s notice. Safety is No Accident and ROILS both teach us about the need to have adequate staffing to ensure each patient receives the full attention they deserve. It is of course easy to show the extra staffing during the high patient volumes, but what about the low patient volumes. Flexing out staff to compensate for lower productivity can cause undue stress on your employees. By hiring us, you only have to pay for the time you use us. No need to have a constant FTE when you may not have the numbers to justify it, call us and we will be there to support you as needed.
As an added bonus, your staff physicist will have access to all our physicists to ask questions, receive advice, and assistance in projects related to radiation oncology and radiation safety.
Locum
Are you having difficulty finding a replacement physicist or adding one to the staff? We can provide the interim help you need to alleviate the stress and pressure of being overworked. You will have comfort in knowing you have the full support of our OPS team.
Full Service
It can be difficult to find the experience you need in some locations and regions of the world. Our approach to providing safety and support to our clinics makes it more desirable for experienced and retired physicists to step up and join the team. Physicists, knowing they have the full support of our OPS team, make it easier to hire and keep qualified physicists to run your clinic. Whether you need a day a week coverage or multiple physicists per day per week we can fulfill your needs.
Commissioning
We can do it cheaper and better than most. Why? Because we not only have a deep understanding of the Clinac® and planning system, we have the access and support to physicists who have commissioned machines in their own clinics for years. Tweaking and adjusting the machines and data to get the most accurate and precise dose calculations they can. They understand how it works, and we have access to all of their experiences. When you hire us for your commissioning needs, make the decision early and we will be with you through the entire installation process – providing support to you and your center as your needs arise. Most centers do not install major equipment regularly. We can help point out potential issues before they become a problem.
Shielding
We do not design shielding, but we can test it for leaks. It is always wise to have checks and balances on processes to ensure safety and quality standards are being met. By having our OPS physicists measure your shielding, you will have a report independent of the engineering, and installation companies. We have the equipment to measure neutrons so you don’t have to make a purchase for a single use or try to hunt one down to borrow or rent.
Peer Review
The AAPM report 80 and report 103 both highly recommend ongoing and annual peer review. Accreditation for radiation oncology centers requires peer review for solo physicists. It is a great practice to have a second set of eyes look over QA, calibrations, and any specialized procedures that are not regularly performed. We can work out a system of peer review that can include both onsite annual, quarterly and remote review of your work. We work with your physicist to understand your processes and provide you with a detailed report that can be used to show the high level of quality you already know you have.
Accreditation Packages
One of the most difficult parts of starting down the road to receive accreditation for your center is deciding where to start. There are so many things on the list to update and change to meet the accrediting body’s requirements and recommendations. We offer packages that will save you countless hours and headaches when beginning the accreditation process. These packages include an already established framework for department policies. They don’t have all the blanks filled in, but we will sit down and work through your clinic’s needs as a team to determine action levels, limits, and customize them so that you will have an overall framework to start with.