The American College of Radiology has issued a statement noting two inaccuracies in The Joint Commission's sentinel event alert on diagnostic radiation risks.
The ACR said that while it agrees with The Joint Commission's message that healthcare providers should try to eliminate avoidable radiation exposure, the information on accreditation requirements of scanners and on the National Radiology Data Registry were inaccurate.
According to the ACR, the CMS Jan. 2012 requirement for accreditation of CT, MRI and PET did not arise from the potential dangers of ionizing radiation, as The Joint Commission stated, but instead from a goal of high quality. In addition, MRI does not produce ionizing radiation.
Secondly, The Joint Commission said the ACR launched the National Radiology Data Registry in May, while it really began in 2008. In May, the ACR launched the Dose Index Registry — a national registry for comparing facilities' CT scanner doses to national benchmarks.
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The ACR said that while it agrees with The Joint Commission's message that healthcare providers should try to eliminate avoidable radiation exposure, the information on accreditation requirements of scanners and on the National Radiology Data Registry were inaccurate.
According to the ACR, the CMS Jan. 2012 requirement for accreditation of CT, MRI and PET did not arise from the potential dangers of ionizing radiation, as The Joint Commission stated, but instead from a goal of high quality. In addition, MRI does not produce ionizing radiation.
Secondly, The Joint Commission said the ACR launched the National Radiology Data Registry in May, while it really began in 2008. In May, the ACR launched the Dose Index Registry — a national registry for comparing facilities' CT scanner doses to national benchmarks.
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