ACR MRI Accreditation Physics Subcommittee Member Featured in Television Report on MRI Safety
Moriel NessAiver, PhD, a member of the ACR's Subcommittee on MRI Accreditation Physics, was featured in an August 22 segment on WUSA-TV (CBS – Washington, DC) report on MRI safety which also aired on several other CBS stations nationwide. The report outlines incidents, at least 1 fatal, in which objects have been drawn into a machine by its strong magnetic field when safety procedures were not fully observed or when equipment was operated by unqualified providers or staff.
In-office imaging performed by nonradiologists, who often lack adequate training or qualified nonphysician clinical personnel to operate equipment, increased 46% from 1998-2003. Studies show that when nonradiologists conduct imaging scans, deficiencies in safeguarding patient safety and in the quality of the images themselves are 10 time more likely to occur.
The TV report mentions that ACR practice guidelines regarding MRI have been tightened in recent years, but that those guidelines currently are voluntary. More than half of the non-hospital imaging in the United States is not done by nonradiologists. Nonradiologist facilities, which are not ACR accredited, are not legally required to comply with ACR guidelines.
In its March 2005 report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended strengthening existing federal laws and enacting new legislation to protect patients by establishing mandatory quality standards for medical imaging providers and facilities. The ACR supports many of the MedPAC recommendations for basic quality standards in medical imaging.
Please visit the Medical Excellence in Diagnostic Imaging Campaign (MEDIC) Web site for the latest information, government reports, and peer-reviewed studies regarding the need for mandatory quality standards in medical imaging and how quality standards can save taxpayers billions in Medicare costs and improve patient care.
Click here to see the WUSA-TV report in its entirety (click Play Video – upper left – to view the segment).