Scheduling Policy & Procedures for the PET Systems
The following scheduling procedures were designed to encourage more efficient use of time and to help ensure that when openings in the schedules become available, they are distributed fairly among users.
Email List:
Information regarding PET scheduling is distributed via email. To sign up for the Positron mailing list, please go to https://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/positron
Requesting Time Slots:
When you have a subject that needs to be scheduled, please access the PET schedule request form here. Fill out the form in its entirety to ensure the scheduling team has the information necessary to schedule.
Account Code: This is the three-letter code assigned to your study.
Participant Time Constraints: Confirm your subject’s general availability and any time constraints they may have, Ex. Only Tuesday mornings, no Fridays, etc. Put N/A if there are no time constraints to consider.
Open Slot Preference(s): The PET/MR Google Calendar lists slots that are open to C11 tracers. Please request to fill open slots before requesting other dates and fill in the dates and times of open slots your participant prefers here.
Total Time in Scanner: Include the total time needed to set up, scan, and clean up.
Set Up Begins: Please try to limit set-up and clean-up times to 15 minutes, accommodations can be made to allow for more time when extra equipment is needed. Please indicate how long is needed here.
Clean-Up Ends: Please try to limit set-up and clean-up times to 15 minutes, accommodations can be made to allow for more time when extra equipment is needed. Please indicate how long is needed here.
Additional Comments: Include any additional information here that is useful to know for scheduling. Ex. Pre-and post-study, a second scan needs to be scheduled for this same participant in 4 weeks, etc.
Scheduling and Holding of Time Slots:
Scans will be scheduled in the order in which forms have been received. It is best to have a few open slot preferences secured so that a participant is available to ensure ease of scheduling. If another group has been scheduled for the same open slot you have requested, the listed time constraints will be used to offer additional dates that may be an option. If additional dates are offered to you, you will have 48 hours to confirm ONE of the dates offered for your participant. In certain instances, additional hold time may be granted for difficult to schedule participant populations. Once your participant has confirmed a date, reply to your original form request with the date and TOI. The schedule team will confirm when the scan is on the schedule. Please CC Shirley and Madelyn on ALL communication to ensure your scan is scheduled.
Schedule Deadlines:
The in-house tracer schedule will be closed at noon on Fridays for the following week. Any requests received after the deadline may not be able to be accommodated.
Cancellations:
You must cancel your time as soon as you know you are unable to use it by filling out the Cancellation form. Failure to properly submit this form for cancellations may result in charges to the billing account. Additionally, you will be billed for the full booked slot if you do not cancel at least Seven Calendar Days in advance. Canceled Bookings within seven calendar days will only be billed if we are unable to fill the slot with another group. Cancelled slots that are taken within this seven day window, should include confirmed research participants.
For all urgent cancellations with 24 hours or less notice, please email pet-support@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu. Be sure to include Date, Bay, TOI, Tracer, PI Name, and reason for cancellation for full cancellation.
Please make every effort to keep these cancellations to a minimum by calling your subjects to confirm their appointments, making sure that they know when and where to report for the study, and how they can reach you at any time. It is our opinion that no-shows and last-minute cancellations are rare, but if the records indicate that this is a problem for any group, special arrangements will be made.
The only exceptions to the above are slots that are canceled due to extreme weather conditions (making it unsafe to travel to the center) or core system/tracer failures.
In extreme weather conditions either in the Boston area or in the area the participant is travelling from, it is the responsibility of the group or CRC to fill out the cancellation form and list the reason for cancellation. It will be expected that rescheduling the canceled participant will be up to you to find another date the participant is available and fill out the request form. You will be notified if the center is expected to close in the event of extreme weather. If this is the case, your scan will be canceled upon notification, and you are asked to fill out a new request form. We will do our best to find the earliest available slot to reschedule the participant.
In the case of core system/tracer failures, the opportunity for MR-only scans may be a viable option. You will be notified of core system/tracer failures and be given the option to utilize the Bay for an MR-only scan. If you opt to not utilize the Bay for an MR-only scan and need to reschedule the participant, fill out a new request form.
Confirmation Procedure:
You must confirm that you will be using your scheduled date and time with the PET team one week prior to your study by emailing pet-support@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu .
Pregnancy Testing:
For those groups with patient populations that require either a serum pregnancy test or a CLIA-waived urine pregnancy test through the CTRU on the day of the scan, please send us the following information as far in advance as possible. The method of pregnancy testing needs to be clearly outlined in your approved IRB. We will try to assist in securing a time with the CRC, or otherwise, a member from your lab will be required to transport the blood sample to the Core Lab on Gray 5 or Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital after registering the required tests into EPIC. More information can be provided by one of the Nuclear Medicine Technologists by contacting email pet-support@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu .
Reversal of System Usage Charge:
The reversal of any charges is subject to an internal approval process. The request should be made at the time the study is aborted, along with the reason, by emailing pet-support@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu. If for some reason you receive an invoice for the time, you have 30 days to request the reversal of the charge.
Trading Slots:
We encourage the trading of slots between groups. Before a trade has been confirmed by both groups, email Shirley and Madelyn to confirm the radiotracer is available at that time. Trading between groups using the same Radiotracer is easiest but it is possible to swap the tracer for a different one if given enough notice. Please contact the other group directly,
Shirley and Madelyn can provide contact information if needed, and when a switch has been agreed to by both parties, please email pet-support@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu with the details.
Login for the full-time you monopolize the system:
Users must log into and out of the system at the beginning of the time slot, and at the time they are ready to turn the system over to the next user respectively, not after set-up and before clean-up. All projects will be billed for the full-time they are listed on the schedule. We believe it is fair that the user pays for the time he/she uses the bay, (not just the system itself) and consequently prevents others from using it.
Further Questions Address questions or comments to Nilson Fernandes (nfernandes4@mgh.harvard.edu).
