The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) has issued a white paper designed to help healthcare facilities that operate CT scanners achieve compliance with the XR-29 radiation dose reduction standard, also known as MITA Smart Dose CT.
The white paper -- titled "Is your CT Smart Dose compliant?" -- clarifies the process for determining whether CT equipment conforms to the XR-29 standard.
The paper is being released against the backdrop of looming major changes in CT reimbursement. In 2016, Medicare will reimburse at a lower rate those diagnostic CT scans that do not meet all four attributes of MITA Smart Dose CT:
- Support for DICOM radiation dose structured reporting
- Support for CT Dose Check (also known as XR-25)
- Support for automatic exposure control
- Support for pediatric and adult reference protocols
These four CT scanner attributes are designed to help clinicians with radiation dose optimization and management in order to maintain the standard of care established by professional societies and regulatory agencies.
