5 reasons radiologists should reserve a seat on the tumor board

Radiologists who interpret oncologic imaging exams but don’t participate in multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) miss a golden opportunity to show their value to clinicians, patients and provider systems.

Michele Lesslie, DO, and Jay Parikh, MD, both of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, flesh out the factors behind that observation in a paper published online Oct. 25 in Academic Radiology.

The authors lay out five areas in which MTB participation lets radiologists align their practice with the priorities of U.S. healthcare in the volume-to-value era:

1. Patient safety and care quality.

Lesslie and Parikh point out that MTBs foster open communication among and between radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and other members of the cancer-care team—all intent on arriving at a consensus strategy rooted in safety and quality.

“Radiological findings are increasingly integrated into clinical staging, which helps in choosing between breast conservation surgery and mastectomy and between sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary lymph node dissection, as well as in determining the need for adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” they write.

The authors cite a 2006 study at the University of Michigan in which MTBs changed the breast cancer diagnosis in 45 percent of cases and changed the surgical management in 11 percent of them, along with a 2001 study at the University of Pennsylvania in which MTBs changed breast cancer treatment for 43 percent of referred patients.

2. Education.

MTB attendance can count toward continuing medical education credits not only for physicians but also for nurses, technologists and practitioners in other disciplines, Lesslie and Parikh note.

Meanwhile, MTBs can contribute to community education. “Administrators and patients who attend these meetings better appreciate the complex imaging, staging and management decisions that are made with the valuable expertise of radiologists,” the authors write. “This helps elevate confidence in the credibility of radiologists in the healthcare system as well as the surrounding community.”

3. Advocacy.

In an MTB, the radiologist gets a chance to make the case for, among other things, capital investments in technology. Holding up as an example the safe and effective use of 3-D digital breast tomosynthesis in the community radiology setting, Lesslie and Parikh write that the radiologist can make a pitch on equipment acquisition to a captive audience.

“By presenting peer-reviewed evidence supporting the use of this technology in an MTB, the multidisciplinary team can support and help advocate for the purchase of [new] equipment by a community hospital,” they write.

4. Research.

In discussing staging at MTBs, radiologists can help identify cancer patients who stand to benefit from participation in clinical trials.

“These trials may be funded, meaning that patients receive treatment at a reduced cost,” Lesslie and Parikh write. “This state-of-the-art treatment often involves expert medical care at a healthcare facility, bringing status and credibility to the facility among the referring physicians.”

5. Economics and value.

In a healthcare economy moving toward alternative payment models and other volume-to-value means of cost containment, radiologists can use their time in MTBs to weigh in on imaging decisions based on a cancer patient’s unique clinical circumstances in accordance with the ACR appropriateness criteria, the authors write.

“Radiologists are direct advocates for their patients by assisting in the selection of appropriate imaging studies in the setting of shared decision-making with other consulting physicians,” they add.  

Lesslie and Parikh conclude by underscoring that participation in MTBs offers radiologists an outstanding opportunity to “exemplify their value as pivotal members of the decision-making team in the emerging culture shift in healthcare.”

“The emphasis on patient safety and quality, education, advocacy, research, economics and value can be applied to all virtually disciplines of radiology,” they write. “Moreover, these concepts can be strategically applied not only to MTBs but also to other multidisciplinary conferences such as mortality and morbidity conferences, peer review and credentialing.” 

Dave Pearson

Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup