The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) earlier this week participated the American Medical Association’s Scope of Practice of Summit in Chicago. The summit brought leaders from state medical societies and specialty medical societies together to discuss how scope of practice legislation fared in the 2023 legislative cycle. This event also allowed participants a chance to discuss advocacy tips and success stories when combating non-physician scope of practice expansion.
The panel at this year’s summit featured leaders from the South Dakota Medical Association (SDSMA) and the Texas Medical Association (TMA). Leaders from both organizations spoke about the unique challenges they faced battling scope of practice during their 2023 legislative cycles and how they were able to defeat multiple scope bills this year. The South Dakota Radiological Society (SDRS) joined other medical specialty societies in defeating legislation that would have allowed a physician assistant (PA) that completed 2,080 practice hours to perform medical services — including taking X-rays and performing radiologic procedures — without a collaborative agreement with a physician. ACR joined SDRS in sending a joint letter opposing the bill to the South Dakota Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and also initiated a member call-to-action against the bill, which ultimately failed to pass.
The ACR is partnered with Fiscal Note, a legislation and regulation tracking service, to provide continuous, comprehensive updates on radiology and healthcare-related legislation. To stay current on state legislative developments relevant to radiology, view the ACR policy map. You can also access information and ACR resources about scope of practice.
For more information about state legislative activities or if you need any guidance on legislation in your state, contact Eugenia Brandt, ACR Senior Government Affairs Director, or Dillon Harp, ACR Senior State Government Relations Specialist.