Contingency Planning for Disruptions Due to Loss of Hardware and/or Software Functionality

Extended disruptions in treatment capabilities due to unforeseen events — such as cyberattacks or equipment failures — pose significant challenges for radiotherapy departments. Despite the recognized importance of contingency planning, many institutions struggle to implement robust plans due to the significant resources required and the absence of firsthand experience with such events. Often, contingency plans are only developed reactively, following a disruptive incident. This activity shares insights from two centers that have developed contingency plans to navigate major disruptions: Case Study 1: A proton center which is part of an academic department developed contingency plans for prolonged equipment malfunction, including the development of alternative treatment approaches for all patients during the outage. Case Study 2: A community hospital developed contingency plans for hospital-wide disruption of IT infrastructure including the inability to access most electronic records. Strategies developed from table-top exercises are outlined. Moving from a fixed process workflow to fluid and flexible procedures while maintaining quality is essential to business continuity. The activity concludes with a focused discussion on the broader aspects of contingency planning, addressing questions such as: What are common roadblocks to implementing contingency plans? What tools and strategies are most effective for mitigating the impact of hardware or IT infrastructure loss? Designing a process that includes post-disruption recovery, learners will leave with actionable insights and practical tools to enhance their institution's readiness for major disruptions, ensuring continuity of care and streamlined recovery processes.

Topics:

  1. Contingency Planning: Common Challenges and Solutions
    Katja M. Langen, PhD
  2. Contingency Planning for Extended Downtime at a Multi-room Proton Facility
    Roelf Slopsema, MSc., DABR
  3. Contingency Planning for Disruption of the IT Infrastructure at a Community Radiation Oncology Clinic
    Jonathan Howe, MS, MSc.
  4. Q and A
    Katja M. Langen, PhD – Moderator
    Full Panel

This activity is available from January 13, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on January 12, 2028. 

The content was originally presented and recorded at the 2025 ASTRO Annual Meeting.

Target Audience

The activity is designed to meet the interests of radiation oncologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and radiation oncology administrators.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Understand the various aspects of a contingency plan.
  • Facilitate the development of a contingency plan.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education for physicians. ASTRO designates this Enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Certificate of Attendance
    This activity was designated for 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Course opens: 
01/13/2026
Course expires: 
01/12/2028
Cost:
$49.00
Rating: 
0
  • Katja M. Langen, PhD, is employed by Emory University.
  • Roelf Slopsema, MSc., DABR, is employed by Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University. 
  • Jonathan Howe, MSc., is employed by Siemens Healthineers (Varian Advanced Oncology Solutions).

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education for physicians. ASTRO designates this Enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Certificate of Attendance
    This activity was designated for 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Price

Cost:
$49.00
Please login or register to take this course.

Course Fees:
ASTRO members must log in to the ASTRO website to view and receive the member rate.

  • Nonmember: $0.00
  • Member: $0.00
  • Member-in-Training: $0.00
  • Student/Graduate Student/PGY-1 Member: $0.00
  • Postdoctoral Fellow Member: $0.00

If you are an ASTRO member from a low or lower-middle income country, as identified by the World Bank, you can receive a 50% discount off your corresponding registration for this activity. Please email [email protected] to inquire about the discount.

Policies:
No refunds, extensions, or substitutions will be made for those participants who, for any reason, have not completed the activity by the expiration date. 

Participants using ASTRO Academy activities to satisfy the requirement of a Continuing Certification (MOC) program should verify the credit number and type and availability dates of any activity before making a purchase. No refunds, extensions, or substitutions will be made for participants who have purchased activities that do not align with their MOC requirement.

The activity and its materials will only be available on the ASTRO website until January 12, 2028, regardless of purchase date. At the expiration of the activity, participants will no longer have access to the activity or its materials. ASTRO reserves the right to remove an activity before its expiration date. 

Required Hardware/software

One of the two latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari.