ATLANTA /PRNewswire/ -- ASTRO Booth #1115 -- The American Board of Radiology Foundation (ABRF) and Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announce that Varian is awarding a $100,000 second year renewal grant to the ABRF, to continue its work establishing a national brachytherapy registry. The registry, which is the first such nationwide modality-based project in radiation oncology, is linked to the American Board of Radiology's (ABR's) Innovation Pathway in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) for Focused Practice Recognition of Brachytherapy.

"As we progress into the second year of active registry enrollment, we are now working on ways to report on the data being generated by the project," said Paul E. Wallner, DO, ABR associate executive director for radiation oncology and director, ABR Foundation. "This continued support from Varian will be instrumental in helping us continue our work on expanding the registry and finalizing our data-reporting processes."

"The ABRF greatly appreciates this generous donation from Varian Medical Systems," said Glenn S. Forbes, MD, chair of the ABRF Board of Directors. "This project aligns with the Foundation's overall mission of demonstrating, enhancing, and continuously improving accountability to the public in the safe and appropriate use of medical imaging and radiation therapy. It promises to greatly enrich our understanding of the use of brachytherapy."
The initiative is a voluntary component of the existing ABR Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program and is designed to allow ABR radiation oncology diplomates who are enrolled in MOC and active in brachytherapy practice to achieve an added credential that demonstrates their commitment to quality and safety, expertise, and volume of practice in that modality. Participants must meet the case-mix, data, and volume requirements, as well as additional medical education and self-assessment activities, as noted in detail on the ABR website (www.theabr.org/content/fp-brachy).

"The Focused Practice in Brachytherapy Initiative, made possible by the Varian grant, will have an important national impact on clinical case quality assurance and policy development in radiation oncology," said Wallner. "We believe this initiative will also raise the level of brachytherapy visibility, quality, research and training throughout the U.S."

"Varian is dedicated to the creation of tools and resources that enable the development of evidence-based treatment protocols," said Dee Khuntia, Varian's vice president of medical affairs. "We are delighted to assist the ABRF in expanding this brachytherapy registry, and identifying ways of making the collected data available to clinicians so that it can impact patient treatment."

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