| Description of practice | Activity must be performed by a QMP | Activity must be performed or supervised by a QMP | Activity should include a QMP | Existing standards or guidelines related to the task. The position of the AAPM may be different than the referenced reports and standards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to diagnostic medical physics QMP subspecialty | ||||
| Performs EPE for primary interpretation displays and modality displays, excluding displays used in mammography | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |||
| Acceptance, annual, posrepair, and continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for primary interpretation displays and modality displays used in mammography | 1, 5, 6 | |||
| Acceptance, annual, postrepair | x | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for dental x‐ray systems (Excluding dental CT) | 8, 9 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (general) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for general x‐ray systems, including computed radiography and digital radiography systems | 8, 10, 11 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (general) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for fluoroscopy systems including general fluoroscopy, mobile C‐arms, and interventional angiography systems | 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for cone‐beam CT systems, including those used for dental imaging and as part of an interventional fluoroscopy system | 2 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for mammography systems | 1, 20, 21, 22 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for ultrasound systems | 1, 2, 3, 4, 23, 24 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for gamma cameras and SPECT systems | 1, 2, 3, 4, 30, 31 | |||
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to nuclear medical physics QMP subspecialty | ||||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for PET systems | 1, 2, 3, 4, 32, 33 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Performs EPE for nonimaging nuclear medicine equipment (e.g., dose calibrators, uptake probes, well counters) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 34 | |||
| Acceptance | x (general) | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (general) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to therapy medical physics QMP subspecialty | ||||
| Performs EPE for equipment used for external beam therapy, brachytherapy, simulation, image guidance, treatment planning, radiation measurement, including associated computer systems, algorithms, data and output | 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to diagnostic and therapy medical physics QMP subspecialties | ||||
| Performs EPE for CT systems used only for radiation therapy simulations or as part of an image‐guided radiotherapy system, including CT‐on‐rails, fan‐beam megavoltage CT, and kilovoltage CT | 16 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to diagnostic and nuclear medical physics QMP subspecialties | ||||
| Performs EPE for diagnostic CT systems, including the CT portion of PET/CT scanners that are used to obtain a diagnostic CT scan | 1, 2, 3, 4, 17, 18, 19 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| Equipment Performance Evaluation (EPE) Tasks — applicable to diagnostic, MRI, and therapy medical physics QMP subspecialties | ||||
| Performs EPE for MRI systems, including systems used for radiation therapy treatment planning | 1, 2, 3, 4, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 | |||
| Acceptance | x | |||
| Annual, postrepair | x (direct) | |||
| Continuous quality assurance* | x (general) | |||
| *Continuous quality assurance refers to periodic testing that is performed daily, weekly, or monthly, often by a technologist. The procedures and frequency of testing is often described by the manufacturer |
| Additional information may be found in the following resources |
| 1. American College of Radiology Accreditation Programs for Imaging |
| 2. Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Programs for Imaging |
| 3. RadSite Accreditation Programs for Imaging |
| 4. The Joint Commission Diagnostic Imaging Standards (2015) |
| 5. ACR‐AAPM‐SIIM Technical Standard for Electronic Practice of Medical Imaging |
| 6. AAPM Report OR03: Assessment of Display Performance for Medical Imaging Sytems |
| 7. AAPM Report 196: Technical Note: Gray Tracking in Medical Color Displays — a report of Task Group 196 |
| 8. US Environmental Protection Agency Federal Guidance Report No. 14 Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and Interventional X‐Ray Procedures |
| 9. AAPM Report 175: Acceptance Testing and Quality Control of Dental Imaging Equipment |
| 10. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Radiographic Equipment |
| 11. AAPM Report 151: Ongoing Quality Control in Digital Radiography |
| 12. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Fluoroscopic Equipment |
| 13. AAPM Report 15: Performance Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Digital Subtraction Angiography |
| 14. AAPM Report 58: Managing the Use of Fluoroscopy in Medical Institutions |
| 15. AAPM Report 125: Functionality and Operation of Fluoroscopic Automatic Brightness Control/Automatic Dose Rate Control Logic in Modern Cardiovascular and Interventional Angiography Systems |
| 16. AAPM Report 179: Quality assurance for image‐guided radiation therapy utilizing CT‐based technologies |
| 17. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Computed Tomography (CT) Equipment |
| 18. AAPM Report 39: Specification and Acceptance Testing of Computed Tomography Scanners |
| 19. AAPM Report 111: Comprehensive Methodology for the Evaluation of Radiation Dose in X‐Ray Computed Tomography |
| 20. Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) Act of 1998 |
| 21. AAPM Report 29: Equipment Requirements and Quality Control for Mammography |
| 22. AAPM Report 223: Radiation Dosimetry in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis |
| 23. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Real Time Ultrasound Equipment |
| 24. AAPM Report 65: Real‐Time B‐Mode Ultrasound Quality Control Test Procedures |
| 25. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Equipment |
| 26. AAPM Report 34: Acceptance Testing of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems |
| 27. AAPM Report 100: Acceptance Testing and Quality Assurance Procedures for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facilities |
| 28. AAPM Report 118: Parallel Imaging in MRI: Technology, Applications, and Quality Control |
| 29. AAPM Report 77: Practical Aspects of Functional MRI |
| 30. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Medical Nuclear Physics Performance Monitoring of Gamma Cameras |
| 31. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of SPECT‐CT Imaging Equipment |
| 32. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Medical Nuclear Physics Performance Monitoring of PET Imaging Equipment |
| 33. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of PET/CT Imaging Equipment |
| 34. AAPM Report 181: The Selection, Use, Calibration, and Quality Assurance of Radionuclide Calibrators Used in Nuclear Medicine |
| 35. American College of Radiology Accreditation program for radiation oncology |
| 36. ASTRO Apex Accreditation program for radiation oncology |
| 37. ACRO Accreditation program for radiation oncology |
| 38. American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Program Standards (2016) |
| 39. ACR‐AAPM Technical Standard for the Performance of Radiation Oncology Physics for External Beam Therapy |