The U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on June 8 on the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act (CARE) of 2011, which would require licensure of radiologic technologists (RTs).
The CARE bill (HR 2104) would establish minimum standards and certification requirements for technologists working in both diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. Medicare reimbursement would be contingent on RT's meeting the requirements.
Radiologic technologists are currently regulated at the state level, and standards vary considerably, with technologists in many states regulated lightly or not at all, according to the CARE bill's backers.
Representing radiology and medical imaging at the hearing are Dr. Leonard Gunderson, chairman of the board of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO); Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman of the University of California, San Francisco; and Sal Martino, CEO of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT).
Several imaging advocacy organizations have come out in favor of the CARE bill, including the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) and the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC).
