December 13, 2010
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) proposed changes to its radiology (x-ray) regulations in late October 2010. The department also revised regulations in October 2009 and May 2010. Under the newest revisions, penalties for lack of compliance have been increased. These penalty increases in HB10-1149 were intended to address industrial radiation users, not healthcare professionals.
The CDA pursued an amendment to HB10-1149 to ensure that medical professionals were not unduly burdened with the penalty increase, and we will be monitoring the rule to ensure that this intent is honored. The new revisions specify, however, that there will be a $50 fee to review training records for computed tomography (CT) machine operators, which could impact a few dental practices. The full text of the rule revisions is available at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/regs/rules.htm. Please contact CDA Director of Governmental Relations Jennifer Goodrum at 303-996-2847 or jennifer@cdaonline.org with any comments on the rule revisions.