From the October 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

 
“I would assume that the auditors will test if the XR-29 functions are properly implemented, regardless of any certification of compliance that may be provided by a vendor,” Aharon says. In a Sept. 4, 2015 written response to the CMS proposed rule, MITA urged CMS to require OEMs or third parties to provide vendor certificates stating that the CT scanner is fully compliant with XR-29.
 
“MITA’s members who are CT manufacturers have committed to, and have already started providing, XR-29 certifications to the owner/operator of the particular CT system,” wrote Peter Weems, MITA’s director of policy. “Suppliers, hospitals and other rendering entities furnishing the imaging services would then provide this certification certificate to CMS and/or an accreditation organization upon request.”
 

“MITA recommends that the OEM XR-29 certifications or those of duly qualified and FDA-registered third parties be required as part of the periodic accreditation of suppliers,” Weems continued. “We urge CMS to work with accrediting organizations to incorporate this requirement into their standards.” Even more than a year after XR-29 was passed, there is general confusion overall.
 
“We know it’s been in the press, we know we had it on our Web site, we know MITA has been trying to raise awareness about it for well over a year, and we still keep getting questions about it,” Butler says. “XR-29 says for full reimbursement you must perform a scan on a CT scanner that has these features. It doesn’t say you must use these features. Manufacturers need to make sure their customers understand how to use these features and facilities must understand what these features can do for them.”
 




Some facilities have been proactive. In Connecticut, where radiation dose reporting legislation has been considered, Hartford Hospital has been ahead of the game in complying with Joint Commission and MITA standards. A minority of scanners had to be replaced, says Dr. Thomas Farquhar, Hartford Hospital’s chief of radiology. “Those were already being used very minimally,” Farquhar says. “Most of the modern, heavily-used scanners were either fully compliant or were able to be, with a simple firmware update.”

October 2015 Magazine

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