Since 2000

A version of the CARE bill was originally introduced in 2000, and has made an appearance in every congressional session since then, Martino said. A Senate version of the bill actually passed in 2006, but the House session dissolved before having a chance to act on it, he said.


The current bill, introduced last year by Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican, has 120 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, Martino said. Supporters include the American Society for Radiation Oncology, which also testified on behalf of the legislation, and the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, or MITA, an imaging OEM lobby, which issued a statement backing the bill.

The bill's supporters believe it has the potential to save the government money. According to Martino's testimony, Medicare spent $11.8 billion on medical imaging in 2009. But if the bill could help cut back on repeat imaging by 1 percent, the government would save more than $100 million a year.

Closer to home, when asked during the hearing what he now recommends patients do before getting an imaging exam, Martino said they should ask their radiologic technologists if they're certified.

"If not, I would not let them take my X-ray or that of my granddaughter," he said.

CMS response

Although right now there is no national accrediting standard for RTs that's needed for Medicare reimbursement, testimony from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seemed to suggest that standards weren't altogether absent, at least for advanced imaging services.

In written testimony, John Spiegel, a CMS official, said while the CMS doesn't directly accredit RTs, it does accredit facilities that offer CT, MRI and nuclear medicine scans. Since January, for these facilities to get Medicare's technical component reimbursement, which covers the costs of running and providing the equipment, they must be accredited by one of three independent organizations, such as The Joint Commission.

"While this statute does not explicitly require it, the personnel standards that were established by the accrediting organizations include state licensure or state certification requirements where they exist," Spiegel said. "In addition, where there is no state licensure or certification requirement, only technicians/technologists that meet the education and experience requirements established by the accrediting organizations are considered qualified personnel."




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