Undoubtedly in the next few years, many states, as well as the federal government, will follow California’s lead in enacting legislation designed to protect patients from overexposure to radiation. Hospitals should focus on creating/finding a system that works with their organizational structure, equipment and facility now, instead of scrambling to meet minimum legal requirements in the future. The standard of patient care as well as cost savings will ultimately increase if a system is put in place through a well planned and implemented process.

Looking forward
As we look toward the future of radiology practices several things are clear—patients are more involved than ever in their health care and diagnostic testing decisions; health care facilities and physicians bear liability when it comes to overexposure of patients and legislators will inevitably craft a requirement for radiation monitoring. Health care facilities should be prepared for these upcoming changes and begin a proactive approach toward protecting patients from radiation overexposure.
It is clear that putting systems in place to track and monitor exposure and protect patients will ultimately save lives. This technology will give both patients and medical professionals information to make key health care decisions.

Radtrac is an informatics and biotech solutions firm that recently created a Radiation Dosage Tracking System that allows hospitals to track and monitor radiation dosage and attaches the information to a patient’s medical record.

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