American College of Radiology underscores opposition to nonphysician imaging interpretation, supervision
The American College of Radiology is rolling out new online resources to help underscore its opposition to letting nonphysicians supervise or interpret medical imaging.
ACR just recently updated its website to help rads track local bills related to scope of practice and stay involved in opposing such legislation. The college is urging the profession to stay “vigilant” in ensuring extenders remain under physicians’ watch.
“Radiologist physicians are uniquely educated, trained and qualified to practice radiology, including imaging supervision and interpretation,” Loralie Ma, MD, PhD, chair of ACR’s State Government Relations Committee, said in a blog post shared July 1. “As such, the ACR opposes imaging supervision or interpretation by any nonphysician providers—and works to ensure that these professionals only provide care as part of a radiologist-led team.”
Most of these proposals surface at the state level, and the college said it is currently tracking “hundreds” of bills nationwide, including those related to practice scope. Many states allow the expansion of duties for physician assistants and other providers to occur at the practice level, ACR noted. Oregon, for instance, just recently passed legislation changing the arrangement between a doctor and physician assistant from a “supervising” to “collaborating,” ACR said in a Thursday news update. Meanwhile at the national level, the college and several other doc groups have opposed efforts to rebrand assistants as “associates.”
“There is no equivalency in education between a physician and a nonphysician health professional, particularly regarding radiology practice and imaging supervision and interpretation,” the college said on its newly updated micro website. “Nonphysician personnel can serve essential roles in radiology practice. However, their education and training are no substitute for the intensive and specialized training and experience of a radiologist.”
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Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.