Results of the Second Public Hearing on Proposed CT Rules (Posted 12/22/2010)

On November 1, 2010 a second public hearing on the proposed CT rules was conducted. Several people made verbal comments at the meeting and two written comments were received. Some of the comments received were:

- Add a training requirement for physicians who operate a CT machine.
- Concerns were expressed about the definition of CT medical event. A suggestion was made to change the definition so only unintended doses are reportable and only if they exceed specific dose threshold within a specified time.
- The 24 hour time limit to notify the patient involved in a CT medical event is too short.
- The wording of the rule on the observation window could lead to the window being a different lead equivalency than the operator's barrier.
- Define when CT doses are out of expected values so the operator will know when to document the instance.
- Dosimetry records should be allowed to be stored outside of the facility as long as they are available for department inspection.
- Reduce the length of time the medical physicist's report needs to be retained.

A new draft dated November 23, 2010 based on the comments received at the second public hearing has been posted on our website under Draft Rules for Comment. This draft has been certified by the State Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules and has been forwarded to the Legislative Service Bureau (LSB) for their certification. LSB has 21 days to certify the rules for form, classification and arrangement. The rules then proceed to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). JCAR is a legislative committee and they have 15 session days to meet and object or waive the time limit. If JCAR does not object to the rules, they are filed with the Office of the Great Seal and immediately become effective.

The Radiation Safety Section will continue to keep you informed on the progress of the CT rules via this listserv and our website.