Fdas Initiative To Limit Patient Exposure To Radiation

By Author: Jaun Paul
Total Articles: 53
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Many a time when I read about a new health care compliance rule, even if they are rules that don't directly apply to HIT, I see a nifty potential application for EHRs lurking about as well. What about you?


Consider the Food & Drug Administration's new move to limit patient exposure to ionizing radiation associated with computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine imaging exams. It seems like the FDA is imagining a multi-pronged approach that regulates radiation equipment manufacturers, develops standards for health care providers, and informs patients of radiation risks. If you want to see how the FDA is trying to sketch out this new regulatory landscape, check out this white paper and this FAQ from the agency.


The FDA wants equipment manufacturers to give complete detail about how much the patients are exposed to the radiations in each procedure so that it is mentioned in the patient's medical record. The providers would also ...
... help monitor exposure with adherence to the guidelines developed by the FDA in collaboration with them. There should be a comprehensive EHR to track the radiation exposure if the patient sees multiple physicians in different specialties. But this vision won't work if each provider has a separate record for the patient.


According to the white paper, the FDA wants to provide tools to track personal medical imaging history to the patients. This tool could be helpful to an extent as everyone cannot keep track of their portable paper medical record. An EHR seems to be a good solution to coordinate a communication effort that involves multiple radiation equipment manufacturers and providers.


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