ASTROnews: Good luck, bad luck, who knows?

By Phillip m. Devlin, M.D.

An ancient Indian mystical story tells of a farmer and his son who alternately experience good luck and then bad luck. Their neighbors alternately congratulate them and commiserate with them depending on the event. But as the story goes on, each bad luck event leads directly to the next good luck event of a more significant nature. The story concludes with the old farmer’s question, “Good luck … bad luck … who knows!?”

At this wintertime there is also some mixed news. Healthcare reform seems headed for a much milder iteration and one that avoids much of the much-feared cuts. There is continued disappointment that there is no significant medical malpractice reform in the works. Also, there appears to be no immediate hope for the repeal of the sustainable growth rate’s (SGR) “automatic” yearly proposed reduction of how much the government will pay for radiation oncology services and expertise – the yearly bane of our legislative advocacy existence! However, with more Americans being covered with mandated health insurance, this has got to be seen as good for society in general and for this, the premier professional society for radiation oncology.

The great hand of providence has shone on each of us with talent, health, wealth and practically unbridled opportunity. The talents and gifts were not given primarily and only for ourselves. Surely, these unusual talents are given mostly to be used in the service of relief of human suffering and the saving of incalculably valuable human lives. The obligations of being the recipients of such great talents are many.

Joyfully we bound off to work each day and open our skilled minds and caring hearts to patients and their families. We continue to refine our talents with ongoing peer review – universally practiced as weekly chart rounds, tumor boards, multidisciplinary clinics and the routine discussion of cases with referring physicians. We are careful to read our Red Journals and other sources of the latest information. We make sure everyone gets to ASTRO meetings in rotation. We gladly cover the clinics for our colleagues, knowing that the same kindness will be returned.

Three additional opportunities to continue to grow our talents present themselves:

• How about doing a focus study in your clinic this winter? Check out how your IMRT/IGRT is doing or look at your brachytherapy. Are you achieving the required D90 for the prostate for instance, a quality measure per the ASTRO/ACR accreditation guideline? Do your contours bear up under someone else’s review? If you find a variance, then you will have found a way to do this work better. Visit www.acr.org/accreditation/radiation.aspx to learn more.
• Volunteer time and talent away from the clinic and in the community. The reward, in terms of personal satisfaction, is priceless. The Rotary and Kiwanis or the local houses of worship are great places to start. This time is a great way to promote yourself and the specialty by raising awareness of radiation therapy treatment options while giving back to your community. Visit www.rtanswers.org for valuable handouts you can provide.
• If you didn’t get to attend the Chicago ASTRO Annual Meeting in November, buy the Virtual Meeting and listen to the wonderful educational sessions online to learn the latest breaking news across the disease sites you treat. You can purchase the Virtual Meeting through http://asro.astro.org.

Whether this year’s rounds of healthcare reform initiatives turn out to be for better or worse, only time will tell. We, recipients of great talent, will continue to enjoy the privilege to labor among the fields of human suffering, ever more skilled and dedicated to improving the human lot! Good luck!

Dr. Devlin practices at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He welcomes comments on his editorial at communications@astro.org.

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