Meet our ACRO Accreditation Team: Jim Sinicki, MBA, R.T.(R)(T)

We're excited to introduce you to Jim Sinicki, MBA, R.T.(R)(T). Jim is a long-time surveyor for the ACRO Accreditation program. In addition, he chaired the Sharing Excellence Among Leaders (ACRO SEAL) Program Committee from 2020-2023. As Director of Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, PA, Jim oversaw the ACRO Accreditation process for over twenty practices within the UPMC network. In our interview, Jim discusses the value of accreditation, and offers advice for practices going through the survey process:

Q: Please share your professional information and what led you to choose a career in the radiation oncology field.

JS: I am the Director or Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, PA During my time in x-ray school, we had the opportunity to shadow different modalities toward the end of our program. When I visited a radiation oncology center, I knew this was the right fit for me due to the ability to develop relationships with patients. While not always the easiest due to the realization that some patients did not have a positive prognosis, this connection was so rewarding knowing I was able to help them continue the fight. To me, oncology patients are the most special of all and I will always be dedicated to enhance the care we provide them every day.

Q: How did you become involved with the ACRO Accreditation program? 
JS: After successful accreditation at 20 of our facilities, the opportunity was presented to be a part of the team that would help evaluate and educate others seeking accreditation. I took this as another opportunity to help affect cancer patients’ lives, albeit indirectly. 

Q: What do you like best about working as a surveyor?
JS: The best part about being a surveyor is being able to share best practices and learning from others that have strived to have the highest quality care. My goal is to obtain all of the needed info for accreditation through good discussions, which tends to be less intense for the staff going through the process and also gives me a good idea of the culture within their department. When staff can easily discuss their processes, it often provides more in depth information about their organization, which is interesting to learn about. 

Q: Why do you think accreditation is important for practices?
JS: If you have ever heard of the phrase, “a second pair of eyes to check something”, this is my thinking of accreditation.  It provides us an opportunity for someone from the outside of your organization to come and take a look at our practices. Even the highest quality institutions have areas where they can improve and sometimes that second set of eyes can help point those areas out to help you refocus your efforts.

Q: What are some tips you would share with practices going through accreditation?
JS: First, go into the process with the mindset that accreditation takes a look at all of the things you do right and finds ways to make you better. While there are areas found to improve upon, the surveyors role is to understand the processes of each department and how these fit into a culture of high quality. During these discussions, the deficiencies are noticed, evaluated, and constructive feedback is given to enhance the processes, but not to place blame that something is wrong.

Q: What do you think differentiates our program from ACR and APEx?
JS: The most evident is the reviewer consistency.  With ACRO, you will always have a physics and administrative reviewer, which makes the focus of the evaluation the same.  With other programs, you typically have physicists always join, but in addition to them, you may have an administrator, physician or other radiation oncology leader.  This variation can lead to inconsistent evaluations.  It is important to note that while a physician is not within the live reviews, patient assessments, plans and treatment are evaluated remotely through a secure portal which allow physicians who focus on their areas of expertise to provide feedback on each case provided.