Scope of Practice

Proper supervision and interpretation of imaging exams by highly trained radiologist physicians is critical to the accurate diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury and illness.

To protect patient access to safe, high-quality care, the ACR® tracked and acted on hundreds of bills nationwide in 2020 and 2021 — including those regarding scope of practice.

The ACR works with our state chapters to advocate at the legislative, regulatory and administrative levels for clear, sensible definition of scope for allied health professionals.

ACRA® Creates SOP Fund to Fight for Patient Access to Radiologist Expertise

The American College of Radiology Association® has established a fund to safeguard patients and patient access to radiologist expertise by fighting state and federal non-physician SOP expansion legislation.
Learn more about the fund

Why We Fight

Patients are best served when medical imaging is provided only under a physician's supervision and when radiologist physicians interpret medical imaging studies.

Radiologist physicians are uniquely educated, trained and qualified to practice radiology, including imaging supervision and interpretation. Non-physician providers do not have comparable training, competence or experience and should not independently supervise or interpret imaging exams.

Most radiologists undergo 10 years of comprehensive training beyond their undergraduate degree:

  • Graduate from medical school.
  • Serve one-year clinical internship.
  • Complete four-year residency.
  • Interpret tens of thousands of exams under practicing radiologist supervision.
  • Train in radiation safety, anatomy, pharmacology, pathophysiology and more.
  • Complete four-week (130 lecture hours) intensive radiologic pathology correlation course.
  • Pass a state licensing exam.
  • Complete a 1–2-year fellowship of specialized training in a radiology subspecialty.

There is no equivalency in education between a physician and a non-physician health professional, particularly regarding radiology practice and imaging supervision and interpretation.

Non-physician 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.

SOP Activity — Legislative Session 2021
State-by-State Listing

Recent ACR Communications

Joint Communications With Other Organizations

Non-ACR Resources

Track All Legislation

This tool allows ACR members to follow the progress of bills in every state. The map is searchable by state or by issue.
State Legislative Bill Tracker

State Government Relations Committee

The state government relations committee meets regularly to evaluate state legislative and regulatory proposals and actions. Loralie Ma, MD, FACR, is chair of the committee. Committee members drive advocacy within their respective chapters and inform ACR advocacy in statehouses nationwide. The ACR staff collects, analyzes and disseminates resources to state chapters. Please send questions to Eugenia Brandt at ebrandt@acr.org.

Contact State Affairs

ACR State Affairs

Through the ACR advocacy program, the College partners with state societies to pass state legislation/regulations on a variety of issues related to practice of radiology. Contact Eugenia Brandt (ebrandt@acr.org)

Legislative/Regulatory Research and Strategy Support

Staff are available to help research issues, develop strategy, bill/regulatory language and more. Contact Tina Getachew (tgetachew@acr.org)