CARE Bill

The CARE bill would establish federal minimum standards of education and certification for personnel who perform medical imaging examinations and plan or deliver radiation therapy treatment. Currently, laws regulating these medical personnel vary widely from state to state, and nine states and the District of Columbia have no regulations at all.

Please make sure your senators and representatives sign on to cosponsor their respective bills (S1042 and HR 583). Email, call or fax your senators and let them know that as a medical dosimetrist you support the CARE Bill and that they should too! If you do not know who your representatives are, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ to find their names and addresses (both e-mail and "snail mail"). Congress needs to hear from us that the CARE bill is an important step towards guaranteeing that all of America's patients receive safe, high-quality radiologic health.

Sample letter

Dear Senator (Surname) or Dear Representative (Surname):

Most Americans take it for granted that the person taking their x-ray, performing their MRI scan, delivering their radiation therapy, or calculating radiation treatment is a competent professional. The fact is, poorly trained individuals examine, plan, and treat patients in this country every day, because there are no mandated federal standards these employees must meet. That's why I am asking you to support an important piece of patient-care legislation. The Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act or CARE bill (S1042 or HR 583) would establish basic educational and credentialing standards for health care personnel who perform our nation's medical imaging examinations, plan, and deliver radiation therapy procedures.

The CARE bill would amend the Consumer-Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act of 1981, which gave the states recommendations for licensing radiologic personnel. Because compliance with the 1981 Act was voluntary, only 35 states have enacted licensure laws, and many of those laws do not match the standards recommended by the federal government.

As a result, thousands of individuals with limited education are performing imaging and radiation therapy procedures on patients every day. Inadequately educated personnel pose a risk to patients, because an improperly performed procedure can lead to misdiagnosis or a delay in treatment.

Congress now has the opportunity to improve the quality of radiologic care by establishing competency standards for those who provide it. I urge you to voice your support for quality health care by cosponsoring and voting in favor of the CARE bill.

I look forward to hearing from you soon on this issue.

Sincerely,

Important Congressional Committees in the 111th Congress

Senate Finance Committee

Max Baucus, MT	Chuck Grassley, IA
John D. Rockefeller IV, WV	Orrin Hatch, UT
Kent Conrad, ND	Olympia Snowe, ME
Jeff Bingaman, NM	Jon Kyl, AZ
John Kerry, MA	Jim Bunning, KY
Blanche Lincoln, AR	Mike Crapo, ID
Ron Wyden, OR	Pat Roberts, KS
Charles Schumer, NY	John Ensign, NV
Debbie Stabenow, MI	Mike Enzi, WY
Maria Cantwell, WA	John Cornyn, TX
Bill Nelson, FL
Robert Menendez, NJ
Thomas Carper, DE

Senate HELP Committee

Edward Kennedy, MA	Mike Enzi, WY
Christopher Dodd, CT	Judd Gregg, NH
Tom Harkin, IA	Lamar Alexander, TN
Barbara A. Mikulski, MD	Richard Burr, NC
Jeff Bingaman, NM	Johnny Isakson, GA
Patty Murray, WA	John McCain, AZ
Jack Reed, RI	Orrin Hatch, UT
Bernard Sanders, VT	Lisa Murkowski, AK
Sherrod Brown, OH	Tom Coburn, M.D., OK
Robert P. Casey, PA	Pat Roberts, KS
Kay Hagan, NC
Jeff Merkley, OR

House Energy and Commerce Committee

Henry Waxman, CA (chair)	Joe Barton, TX
John Dingell, MI*	Ralph Hall, TX
Edward Markey, MA	Fred Upton, MI
Rick Boucher, VA	Cliff Stearns, FL
Frank Pallone, NJ*	Nathan Deal, GA
Bart Gordon, TN*	Ed Whitfield, KY
Bobbie Rush, IL	John Shimkus, IL
Anna Eshoo, CA*	John Shadegg, AZ
Bart Stupak, MI	Roy Blunt, MO
Eliot Engel, NY*	Steve Buyer, IN
Gene Green, TX*	George Radanovich, CA
Diana DeGette, CO*	Joseph Pitts, PA
Lois Capps, CA*	Mary Bono Mack, CA
Michael Doyle, PA	Greg Walden, OR
Jane Harman, CA*	Lee Terry, NE
Janice Schakowsky, IL*	Mike Rogers, MI
Charles Gonzalez, TX *	Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC
Jay Inslee, WA	John Sullivan, OK
Tammy Baldwin, WI*	Tim Murphy, PA
Mike Ross, AR*	Michael Burgess, TX
Anthony Weiner, NY*	Marsha Blackburn, TN
Jim Matheson, UT*	Phil Gingrey, GA
G.K. Butterfield, NC	Steve Scalise, LA
Charlie Melancon, LA
John Barrow, GA*
Baron Hill, IN
Doris Matsui, CA
Donna Christensen, VI*
Kathy Castor, FL*
John Sarbanes, MD*
Christopher Murphy, CT*
Zachary Space, OH*
Jerry McNerney, CA
Betty Sutton, OH*
Bruce Braley, IA*
Peter Welch, VT

House Committee on Ways and Means

Charles B. Rangel, NY (chair)	Dave Camp. MI
Fortney, Pete Stark, CA*	Wally Herger, CA*
Sander Levin, MI	Sam Johnson, TX*
Jim McDermott, WA	Kevin Brady, TX
John Lewis, GA	Paul Ryan, WI*
Richard E. Neal, MA	Eric Cantor, VA
John S. Tanner, TN	John Linder, GA
Xavier Becerra, CA*	Devin Nunes, CA*
Lloyd Doggett. TX*	Pat Tiberi, OH
Earl Pomeroy, ND*	Ginny Brown-Waite, FL*
Mike Thompson, CA*	Geoff Davis, KY
John B. Larson, CT	Dave Reichert, WA
Earl Blumenauer, OR*	Charles Boustany, LA
Ron Kind, WI*	Dean Heller, NV
Bill Pascrell, NJ*	Peter Roskam, IL
Shelly Berkley, NV*
Joseph Crowley, NY
Chris Van Hollen, MD
Kendrick Meek, FL
Allyson Y. Schwartz, PA
Arthur Davis, AL
Danny Davis, IL
Bob Etheridge, NC
Linda Sanchez, CA
Brian Higgins, NY
John Yarmuth, KY

Names in italics = Previous CARE Cosponsor
* = Health Subcommittee