Hartsell named for ASTRO board of directors

Williams Hartsell, MD, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center, has been elected to the American Society for Radiation Oncology board of directors.

Hartsell began his term as Health Policy Council vice-chair at the recent Annual Business Meeting held during ASTRO's 50th annual meeting in San Diego.

For more than a decade, Hartsell has worked with ASTRO to help shape health policy, specifically in code development and utilization for medical billing. He is the current ASTRO adviser to the American Medical Association's CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) panel, which is responsible for the development of new codes.

"The national changes in health policy have significant impacts," said Hartsell. "It is important to help shape these discussions to ensure that all patients have access to appropriate health care, including access to the best cancer care."

ASTRO has more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy.