The standard is designed to address the practice in which the medical physicist does not routinely perform services on-site or consult in person with the oncologist at the location of practice for the oncologist.
Radiation oncology involves the use of ionizing radiation in the treatment of patients with cancer.
Therapeutic doses of ionizing radiation should only be prescribed by a physician who possesses the appropriate training and experience in the application of this modality. The delivery of radiation as a therapeutic modality demands strict attention to the training and experience of all personnel associated with this process, to the equipment used in this process, and to the patient and personnel safety in the delivery process. The American College of Medical Physics regards board certification, in the appropriate medical physics subfield, and state licensure, in those states where licensure exists, as the appropriate qualification for the designation of a Qualified Medical Physicist. Before addressing telemedicine practice in part IV below, we review existing standards of practice for radiation oncology. Numerous standards of practice have been published by various scientific and professional organizations.