We are asking every SVU member to contact their Members of Congress regarding the CARE Bill: Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy. In the House of Representatives, the bill is known as HR 1146 and in the Senate it is known as SB 642.
When looking to contact Members of Congress you need to first identify at least one representative and two senators from your state. You can use a variety of sites to help you identify them such as
House Search,
Senate Search,
Find Your Representative and
Contacting the Congress. Once you have identified your one representative and two senators, you can then contact them by telephone, fax or e-mail. Another great way to contact Members of Congress is through the Capitol switchboard number which is (202) 224-3121. No matter what your choice is, it is essential to make your request clear, concise and respectful. It is not a bad idea to ask for a response to your request by e-mail or post.
When contacting Members of Congress your message should include several essential facts. You should state that as a constituent, you want The CARE Bill (SB 62 or HR 1146) to be passed because it will save Medicare dollars by preventing repeat/unnecessary imaging studies. It will also protect patients from overexposure to radiation. Finally, it will ensure consistent education and certification standards for technical personnel who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. As a vascular technologist, you have met credentialing standards and want to be sure all others do the same.
If you would like additional information, the CARE Bill was sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) in the House and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) in the Senate. Current credentials (RVT, RVS, etc) will be recognized, and if the state should desire state licensure (only NM and OR have ultrasound licensure), nothing in the bill will limit their ability to do so. Since state licensure costs states money, it is unlikely that state licensure will be passed, leaving patients at risk and costing the Medicare program additional money for inappropriate studies performed by non-credentialed technical personnel. Additionally, the bill has no impact on physicians.
If you have additional questions, please contact Anne Jones, Advocacy Chair at
annejones414@comcast.net. We encourage you to contact your Members of Congress repeatedly, and encourage all of your colleagues, patients and friends to do so as well! The bill protects Medicare, patients and those of us who are already certified. Thank you for your support and action. With your help, we can get this bill passed in 2014.