Requirements of the Interpreting Physician

(A) Interpreting Physician Initial Qualifications. An Interpreting Physician is qualified to be employed in a mammography facility if he or she: (1) Is licensed to practice under M.G.L. c. 112, § 2; (2) Is in compliance with applicable regulations issued by the Board of Registration in Medicine including 243 CMR 2.07(24)(a) through (c). (B) Interpreting Physician Duties. The Interpreting Physician shall be responsible for: (1) Ensuring that an ongoing program to assess the quality of mammographic interpretation is operating; (2) Complying with the reporting requirements of 105 CMR 127.020(B); (3) Providing a copy of the written report and the mammograms to the patient's mammography facility for inclusion in the patient's medical record; Providing prompt feedback to the Mammography Radiologic Technologist on the quality of the mammograms received; (5) Providing prompt feedback to the Responsible Physician of any suboptimal quality of mammograms; and (6) Ensuring that he or she is readily available to the staff at the mammography facility. (C) Continued Experience and Education. The interpreting physician shall interpret 960 mammographic examinations over a 24-month period, and shall take at least 15 hours of Category 1 CME in mammography in a 36-month period while performing the duties of an Interpreting Physician. (D) New Mammographic Modalities. Before an Interpreting Physician may independently interpret mammograms produced by a new mammographic modality, i.e., a mammographic modality in which the physician has not previously been trained, the Interpreting Physician shall have at least eight hours of training in the new mammographic modality. (E) Re-establishing Qualifications. Interpreting Physicians who fail to maintain the required continuing experience or continuing education requirements shall re-establish their qualifications before resuming the independent interpretation of mammograms. (1) Interpreting Physicians who fail to meet the continuing experience requirements shall interpret or multi-read at least 240 mammographic examinations under the direct supervision of an Interpreting Physician, or interpret or multi-read a sufficient number of mammographic examinations, under the direct supervision of an Interpreting Physician, to bring the physician's total up to 960 examinations for the prior 24 months, whichever is less. (2) Interpreting Physicians who fail to meet the continuing education requirements shall obtain a sufficient number of additional Category I CME's in mammography to bring their total up to the required 15 credits in the previous 36 months before resuming independent interpretation.