Policy makers introduce CARE Act in US Senate
SNM supports the U.S. Senate in its introduction of the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2010 (CARE Act), S. 3737. The proposed legislation, which was introduced in August by Sen. Mike Enzi [R-WY], aims to ensure that minimum education and credentialing standards for nuclear medicine technologists are set at the state level. The bill's co-sponsors include Richard Burr [R-NC], Al Franken [D-MN] and Thomas Harkin [D-IA].
The CARE Act would require those who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures to meet minimum federal education and credentialing standards in order to participate in the Medicare program. Thus, medical imaging procedures, as well as radiation therapy treatments for patients covered under these programs, would need to be performed by personnel meeting these federal standards in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
"A great opportunity has been presented for the molecular imaging and nuclear medicine community," said Kathy Hunt, M.S., C.N.M.T., 2010 SNMTS president. "We must continue our work with the Senate to pass this legislation to ensure patient safety when undergoing diagnostic and radiation therapy procedures."
Currently, only 26 states have established standards for nuclear medicine technologists, only 32 states for radiation therapists, and only 38 states license or partially regulate radiologic technologists. Under current law, basic training standards are voluntary in some states, allowing individuals to perform radiologic procedures without any formal imaging education. Poor quality images can lead to misdiagnosis, additional testing, delays in treatment and anxiety in patients, costing the U.S. health care system millions of dollars each year.