The CARE Bill

As a member of the Alliance for Quality Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (AQMIRT), the NMTCB is a strong supporter of federal legislation that would require basic educational and certification standards for health care workers who administer radiologic procedures in every state in the union. Beginning with the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), and now joined by 20 member organizations and 13 consulting organization and other supporters, AQMIRT has been instrumental in introducing House and Senate bills that pursue these goals since the 1999 Congressional Session.

HR 3652 was introduced in the 1st Session of the 111th Congresss on September 25, 2009 by Representative John Barrow (D-GA). Also known as the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (CARE) bill, enactment would ensure that patients undergoing all types of radiologic procedures have the same assurance of quality as those receiving mammograms under the provisions of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA).

The CARE Bill has numerous co-sponsors in the House and the bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Senator Enzi (R-WY) and Senator Harkin (D-IA) very soon. You may show your support for this bill by contacting your Senators and Representative. Model communication and a handy online form for doing so has been put together by the SNM and is available at http://www.capwiz.com/snm/issues/alert/?alertid=14752171&type=CO.