Members of the Ohio Society of Radiologic Technologists (OSRT) met with several legislators and their staffs on May 10 at the Ohio Statehouse. Through OSRT's legislative consultant, the OSRT was made aware of a potential amendment to Ohio H.B. 33 (State Budget) that would weaken supervision requirements for GXMO (General X-ray Machine Operators). The OSRT believes that a change in supervision requirements for the GXMO would be detrimental to the standard of care for patients undergoing x-ray examinations.
An Infographic was developed and presented to each Senator (see attached below). The OSRT Advocacy team plans to follow up with them to answer questions. A big thank you is extended to the following legislators and their staffs for spending time with our team:
Senator Dr. Stephen Huffman – Chair, Senate Health Committee
Senator Dr. Terry Johnson – Vice Chair, Senate Health Committee
Senator Stephanie Kunze
Senator Matt Dolan – Chair, Senate Finance Committee
Senator Jerry Cirino – Vice Chair, Senate Finance Committee
Senator Bob Hackett – Member, Senate Health Committee
Senator Kristina Roegner – Member, Senate Health Committee
George Poulious – Health Policy Advisor for Senate President Matt Huffman
Senator Mark Romanchuk – Member, Senate Finance and Health Committees
Thanks also to all OSRT members who dedicated their day to meet with Senators to address this very important issue: Julie Gill, Haley Griffin, Lucas Gross, Alisha Guerrero, Lauren Huffman, Tiffany Roman, Kris Seitz, Allison Stokes, as well as the OSRT Lobbyist, Paul Kudlak.
Memorandum sent to all members of the Ohio Senate to outline why OSRT opposes H.B. 33
The Ohio Society of Radiologic Technologists (OSRT) is a non-profit professional organization representing Ohio medical imaging and radiologic science personnel. Our mission is to advocate for radiologic technologists by advancing professional practice to enhance patient care.
It is our understanding that there could be a potential amendment to H.B. 33 (State Budget) which would weaken supervision requirements for General X-ray Machine Operators (GXMO). Currently, direct supervision by a Licensed Practitioner is required for GXMOs, and this amendment would allow for general supervision.
The OSRT believes that a change in supervision requirements for the GXMO would be detrimental to the standard of care for patients undergoing x-ray examinations for the following reasons:
- GXMOs have limited education and training in diagnostic imaging and clinical practices which includes patient care, radiation protection, radiation biology, and patient positioning. There is currently no minimum hourly requirement for didactic or clinical education for the GXMO and many GXMOs complete their didactic education in one weekend and their clinical education in one afternoon. Radiologic technologists must complete a minimum of an associate degree program of at least 65 semester credit hours with most students completing a minimum of 1,000 clinical practicum hours.
- Currently, there are almost 14,000 certified and licensed radiologic technologists and less than 750 GXMOs licensed and practicing in Ohio. Thus, this is NOT a workforce issue, but rather a patient care and safety issue.
- A change in the supervision of the licensed GXMO without the ability to testify or debate this issue would negatively impact the quality of patient care and degrade the profession of medical imaging.
The OSRT believes that an issue of this magnitude should be fully vetted in a stand-alone bill that progresses through the routine legislative process, not as an amendment within the extremely large Budget Bill, as this is NOT a budget issue. The quality of patient care is important enough to let all stakeholders and constituents be heard.
To be clear, Ohio has been a leader in radiation safety issues, and this proposed change does not align with our state’s strong history of providing quality patient care. Thus, we urge you to NOT support this amendment if it is proposed or introduced and continue to protect Ohio’s citizens from inferior healthcare!
Want to do something to help? Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Advocacy Committee Chair. Join OSRT if you are not already a member. Your membership fees helps us fight for you!