ASRT Website: capwiz.com/asrt/home/
Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy
In 1997 ASRT launched an aggressive campaign to protect patients from overexposure to radiation during radiologic procedures and help reduce the cost of administering health care.
Since the 1999 Congressional session, ASRT has introduced House and Senate bills that pursue basic educational and certification standards for health care workers who administer radiologic procedures in every state in the union. The bill -- known as the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (CARE) bill -- 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.
Position Statement
Radiologic technologists throughout the country support the establishment of minimum standards by the federal government for personnel who perform medical imaging exams and deliver radiation therapy treatments.
By ensuring a minimum level of education, knowledge and skill for radiologic personnel, federal minimum standards will:
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Ensure that quality information is presented for diagnosis and that quality radiation therapy treatments are delivered, leading to accurate diagnosis, treatment and cure. Poor quality images can lead to additional testing, delays in treatment and needless anxiety for the patient.
Ensure that quality information is presented for diagnosis and that quality radiation therapy treatments are delivered, leading to accurate diagnosis, treatment and cure. Poor quality images can lead to additional testing, delays in treatment and needless anxiety for the patient. •Reduce health care costs by lowering the number of radiologic examinations that must be repeated due to improper positioning or poor technique. Repeated radiologic examinations cost the U.S. health care system millions of dollars annually in needless medical bills.
Reduce health care costs by lowering the number of radiologic examinations that must be repeated due to improper positioning or poor technique. Repeated radiologic examinations cost the U.S. health care system millions of dollars annually in needless medical bills. •Improve the safety of radiologic procedures. Administered properly, radiation is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis, treatment and management of disease. But most radiologic procedures also carry a potential health risk, and radiation can be harmful if misadministered.
Improve the safety of radiologic procedures. Administered properly, radiation is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis, treatment and management of disease. But most radiologic procedures also carry a potential health risk, and radiation can be harmful if misadministered. Getting the CARE Bill on the road to passage in the 112th Congress
The Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence (CARE) in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill in the 111th Congress (H.R. 3652 and S. 3737) died at the end of December 2010. This bill is now thrown out but it certainly made great progress on its road to passage.
Many of the congressmen/congresswomen are very willing to support the CARE bill when it is introduced in the 112th Congress. The more bipartisan support the bill gets from Democrats and Republicans, the more opportunity for their cosponsorships and the better chance we have to convince our lawmakers to pass the bill.
Pennsylvania Contingent:
Dr. Cecilia Williams, Vice President PhilaSRT, Sharon Miller, President PSRT, Bernadette Garofola, ASRT Advocacy Committee Member and PhilaSRT Legislative Committee Member, and Martin Pesce, Member PSRT
We Need You!!!!
This process can only happen with constituent (you) involvement. We need YOU to email or call your representative and senators to let them know the importance of the CARE bill and why we need to establish federal minimum standards of education for all individuals using ionizing radiation for medical imaging and radiation therapy purposes. We must all get involved by letting them know how important it is to keep our patients safe from the effects of misused ionizing radiation (harm) caused by unqualified personnel. Let them know that passage of the CARE bill will reduce health care costs, maximize patient safety and improve the quality of patient exams.
The New Jersey Contingent:
Dr. Cecilia Williams and Bernadette
Garofola with Congressman Jon
Runyan, Third District, NJ
Supporting the CARE Bill:
We gain support for the CARE bill by increasing the number of cosponsors by contacting our senators and representatives. Please go to the ASRT website home page today and click on “Legislative & Regulatory) to find out more about how to contact your lawmakers (just insert your zip code)…
There are still eight states that do not have any Licensure or Regulatory Provisions for Radiologic Personnel and four that partially regulate. That’s about ¼ of the United States of America.
Please go to the website listed below to see why we need the CARE bill now!!
The New York Times published a letter from ASTRO and a letter from ACR in response to the Dec. 28, 2010 article on radiation therapy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/opinion/lweb07radiation.html
A Pinpoint Beam Strays Invisibly, Harming Instead of Healing; NYT Dec. 28, 2010 article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/health/29radiation.html?src=me&ref=general
Bill hopes to bring tougher standards for RTs nationwide; DOTmed News; Aug. 09, 2010 article: http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/13737
After Stroke Scans, Patients Face Serious Health Risks; NYTimes Article, July 31, 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/health/01radiation.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
FDA Unveils Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging; FDA News Release: Feb. 9, 2010
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm200085.htm
If you need assistance in the fight for quality care and patient safety by supporting the CARE bill, please contact Deb Soffer, PhilaSRT Legislative Committee Chair, dhsoffer@verizon.net or Bernadette Garofola, ASRT Advocacy Committee Member and PhilaSRT Legislative Committee member, berniegarofola@hotmail.com.
Grassroots advocacy is an important part of your commitment to your profession and its goals. By letting lawmakers know how you feel about the issues, you can help our collective voice achieve a greater impact. We've provided information on this site to help you make informed decisions about the issues. We've made it easy to e-mail your government officials, and even compose letters right from this site.
Download a copy of the CARE Bill Brochure to share with your friends and representatives.
Philadelphia Society of Radiologic Technologists
As Affiliate of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists
Message from ASRT Advocacy Committee Member
And PhilaSRT Legislative Committee Member:
Bernadette Garofola
March 2011
Click the file above to view the new carebill
