[P063] Value-based X-ray physics – A novel organizational model for medical physicists working in diagnostic and interventional radiology

Purpose A new healthcare reform centered around Value-based healthcare has recently been implemented in our region. To pursue this reform, drastic changes have been made to our hospital’s organizational structure and our hospital will serve as a tertiary and quaternary healthcare provider. The Unit of X-ray Physics is therefore in the process of implementing a new operational model to provide relevant Medical Physics support to the new clinical organization at our hospital. Methods To better understand the clinical demand for Medical Physicists, interviews were conducted with Lead Section Radiologists. These interviews indicated that there was a demand for highly specialized Medical Physics support, however the integration between Medical Physicists and the clinic was in many cases unsatisfactory. The operational model at the Unit of X-ray Physics has therefore been structured around Quality-Optimization-Methodology (QOM) groups, providing more continuous and specialized Medical Physics support to the clinic. The QOM groups are multidisciplinary (consisting of Lead Radiologists, Lead Radiographers and Medical Physicists) and they are placed at the intersection of an imaging modality and a clinical sub-specialization to best match with our hospital’s new structure (e.g., Pediatric Computed Tomography). Results The QOM group based operational model, where implemented in the still emerging new clinical structure, enables members of the Unit of X-ray Physics to become highly specialized in one or more combinations of modality and clinical sub-specialization. The new operational model also provides the Unit of X-ray Physics a clear understanding of how resources should be allocated among the identified QOM groups to best meet clinical demands. Conclusions A new operational model centered around QOM groups has been implemented at the Unit of X-ray Physics to provide continuous and specialized Medical Physics support in the new clinical structure at our hospital. In this structure, Medical Physicists become highly specialized on both a modality and clinical sub-specialty level. Furthermore, the new QOM group based operational model provides an important tool when allocating Medical Physics resources in the clinic. The model is planned to be evaluated after being fully implemented and tested.