HOUSE BILL 260

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

Emily Kane

AN ACT

RELATING TO HEALTH CARE; AMENDING THE MEDICAL IMAGING AND RADIATION THERAPY HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT TO EXEMPT EXPANDED PRACTICE DOCTORS OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE PERFORMING DIAGNOSTIC MUSCULOSKELETAL ULTRASOUND OR ULTRASOUND PROCEDURE GUIDANCE FROM MEDICAL IMAGING LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 61-14E-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1983, Chapter 317, Section 4, as amended) is amended to read:

     "61-14E-4. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act:

          A. "advisory council" means the medical imaging and radiation therapy advisory council;

          B. "board" means the environmental improvement board;

          C. "certificate of limited practice" means a certificate issued pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act to persons who perform restricted diagnostic radiography under direct supervision of a licensed practitioner limited to the following specific procedures:

                (1) the viscera of the thorax;

                (2) extremities;

                (3) radiation to humans for diagnostic purposes in the practice of dentistry;

                (4) axial/appendicular skeleton; or

                (5) the foot, ankle or lower leg;

          D. "certified nurse practitioner" means a person licensed pursuant to Section 61-3-23.2 NMSA 1978;

          E. "credential" or "certification" means the recognition awarded to an individual who meets the requirements of a credentialing or certification organization;

          F. "credentialing organization" or "certification organization" means a nationally recognized organization recognized by the board that issues credentials or certification through testing or evaluations that determine whether an individual meets defined standards for training and competence in a medical imaging modality;

          G. "department" means the department of environment;

          H. "diagnostic medical sonographer" means a person, including a vascular technologist or echocardiographer, other than a licensed practitioner, who provides patient care services using ultrasound;

          I. "division" means the environmental health division of the department of environment;

          J. "expanded practice doctor of oriental medicine" means a doctor of oriental medicine certified in expanded practice pursuant to Section 61-14A-8.1 NMSA 1978;

          [J.] K. "ionizing radiation" means alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x-rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons and other particles capable of producing ions; "ionizing radiation" does not include non-ionizing radiation, such as sound waves, radio waves or microwaves, or visible, infrared or ultraviolet light;

          [K.] L. "license" means a document issued by the department pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act to an individual who has met the requirements of licensure;

          [L.] M. "licensed practitioner" means a person licensed to practice medicine, dentistry, podiatry, chiropractic or osteopathy in this state;

          [M.] N. "licensure" means a grant of authority through a license or limited license to perform specific medical imaging and radiation therapy services pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act;

          [N.] O. "magnetic resonance technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner who performs magnetic resonance procedures under the supervision of a licensed practitioner using magnetic fields and radio frequency signals;

          [O.] P. "medical imaging" means the use of substances or equipment emitting ionizing or non-ionizing radiation on humans for diagnostic or interventional purposes; 

          [P.] Q. "medical imaging modality" means:

                (1) diagnostic medical sonography and all of its subspecialties;

                (2) magnetic resonance imaging and all of its subspecialties;

                (3) nuclear medicine technology and all of its subspecialties;

                (4) radiation therapy and all of its subspecialties; and

                (5) radiography and all of its subspecialties;

          [Q.] R. "medical imaging professional" means a person who is a magnetic resonance technologist, radiographer, nuclear medicine technologist or diagnostic medical sonographer and who is licensed pursuant to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act;

          [R.] S. "non-ionizing radiation" means the optical radiations, including ultraviolet, visible, infrared and lasers, static and time-varying electric and magnetic fields and radio frequency, including microwave radiation and ultrasound;

          [S.] T. "nuclear medicine technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner who applies radiopharmaceutical agents to humans for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes under the direction of a licensed practitioner;

          [T.] U. "physician assistant" means a person licensed pursuant to Section 61-6-7 or 61-10A-4 NMSA 1978;

          [U.] V. "radiation therapy" means the application of ionizing radiation to humans for therapeutic purposes;

          [V.] W. "radiation therapy technologist" means a person other than a licensed practitioner whose application of radiation to humans is for therapeutic purposes;

          [W.] X. "radiographer" means a person other than a licensed practitioner whose application of radiation to humans is for diagnostic purposes;

          [X.] Y. "radiography" means the application of radiation to humans for diagnostic purposes, including adjustment or manipulation of x-ray systems and accessories, including image receptors, positioning of patients, processing of films and any other action that materially affects the radiation dose to patients;

          [Y.] Z. "radiologist" means a licensed practitioner certified by the American board of radiology, the British royal college of radiology, the American osteopathic board of radiology or the American chiropractic board of radiology; and

          [Z.] AA. "radiologist assistant" means an individual licensed as a radiographer as defined in the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act who holds additional certification as a registered radiologist assistant by the American registry of radiologic technologists and who works under the supervision of a radiologist; provided that a radiologist assistant shall not interpret images, render diagnoses or prescribe medications or therapies."

     SECTION 2. Section 61-14E-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1983, Chapter 317, Section 7, as amended) is amended to read:

     "61-14E-7. LICENSURE--EXCEPTIONS.--

          A. It is unlawful, unless licensed by the department as a medical imaging professional or radiation therapist, for any person to:

                (1) use ionizing or non-ionizing radiation on humans; 

                (2) use any title, abbreviation, letters, figures, signs or other devices to indicate that the person is a licensed medical imaging professional or radiation therapist; or

                (3) engage in any of the medical imaging modalities as defined by the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act.

          B. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act, the requirement of a medical imaging license shall not apply to a licensed practitioner or auxiliary or health practitioner licensed or certified by an independent board; provided that any certification and examination program for auxiliaries or health practitioners established by an independent board shall be submitted to the advisory council and approved by the board. The requirement of a medical imaging license shall also not apply to a student who is enrolled in and attending a required individual education program of a school or college of medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, podiatry, dentistry or dental hygiene to apply radiation to humans under the supervision of a licensed practitioner or under the direct supervision of a licensed medical imaging professional or radiation therapist.

          C. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act, the requirement of a license shall not apply to a student completing clinical requirements of an approved education program working under the supervision of a licensed practitioner or under the direct supervision of a medical imaging professional or radiation therapist licensed in the practice for which the student is seeking licensure.

          D. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Health and Safety Act, the requirement of a license shall not apply to an expanded practice doctor of oriental medicine performing diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound or ultrasound procedure guidance.

          [D.] E. The department shall adopt rules and regulations for the education and licensure of advanced medical imaging professionals.

          [E.] F. The department may require students in medical imaging and radiation therapy educational programs to register with the department while enrolled in an approved education program."

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