Rad onc supervision, the epilogue

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Oh totally agree with all of this. I didn’t train in the south and thus was seen as an “outsider” for the entire time I was there. Even though I was a demonstrably better physician than almost everyone I encountered. Btw some of the patients (the ones with their heads screwed on straight-er) actually want doctors trained elsewhere because they know the locals totally suck.

Oh, and BTW: several of the senior docs in my practice were members of the local KKK chapter. No joke. At least one doc was drinking and doing drugs while seeing patients, and the state board raided his office shortly after I left. One doc was living out of his office (had a wife and kids in a neighboring state but was working here?) and apparently had used condoms under his desk all the time. Another had been groping patients and had a “gentleman’s agreement” with the practice to see his patients virtually through a robotic camera, because he was one of the biggest billers in the practice and we just can’t let him go, can we? Bless his heart (I hope to never hear that phrase again lol). I seriously wish I was joking about all this. It was a total all American ****show. The practice imploded not long after I left, and I moved back to the Midwest where I belong.
Used condoms under desk? They were sleeping with nurses?
 
CMS 1, ASTRO circa 2020-2024 0

From the latest CMS 2026 fee schedule:

CMS is also proposing for services that are required to be performed under the direct supervision of a physician or other supervising practitioner, to permanently adopt a definition of direct supervision that allows the physician or supervising practitioner to provide such supervision through real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications (excluding audio-only). Except for services that have a global surgery indicator of 010 or 090, CMS is proposing that a physician or other supervising practitioner may provide such virtual direct supervision for applicable incident-to services under § 410.26, diagnostic tests under § 410.32, pulmonary rehabilitation services under § 410.47, cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation services under § 410.49.
 
CMS 1, ASTRO circa 2020-2024 0

From the latest CMS 2026 fee schedule:
Kind of… ironic. I think that’s the right word.

Prior to the 1980s the term “radiation oncologist” didn’t really exist. And the “radiation therapists” definitely definitely definitely didn’t worry about supervision.

In the 1980s the term rad onc was ABR sanctified. And still radiation oncologist supervision definitely definitely was not a worry.

It will still not a worry in the 1990s.

Come -2005, it began to be a HOT worry. The next 15 years were marked by supervision agita and you had people like Ken Olivier saying on Twitter that cancer patients always *deserve* to have a rad onc on site at all times no matter what. And people being shamed for not being on site. Etc etc. Nowadays Ken seems more interested in psychedelics that supervision. How nice.

Fast forward to 2026. Where we are essentially back to the 1990s and decades prior. Makes one very tired.
 
Come -2005, it began to be a HOT worry. The next 15 years were marked by supervision agita and you had people like Ken Olivier saying on Twitter that cancer patients always *deserve* to have a rad onc on site at all times no matter what. And people being shamed for not being on site. Etc etc. Nowadays Ken seems more interested in psychedelics that supervision. How nice.


Must be celebrating
 
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