Radiology services

1. The general acute hospital shall provide and maintain radiology services sufficient to perform and interpret the radiological examinations necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, to the extent that the complexity of services are commensurate with the size, scope, and nature of the hospital. Additional required services must be provided by shared services or referral of patients. a. The physician responsible for the direction and supervision of radiology services must be board certified or eligible for certification by the American board of radiology or equivalent. The physician responsible for radiology services must be a member of the medical staff. This individual's responsibilities must be identified in the policy and procedure manual or other document. b. Technicians and technologists employed in the radiology services must have had sufficient training and experience to carry out the procedures safely and efficiently commensurate with the size, scope, and nature of the service. A means for evaluating qualifications must be established and used. The physician responsible for radiology services shall document as to the acceptability of the qualifications specific to each radiology technician or technologist. c. The hospital shall provide for emergency radiology services at all times. d. Complete signed reports of the radiological examinations must be made part of the patient's record and duplicate copies, as well as the images, must be kept in the hospital for a period of five years. e. Written reports of each radiological interpretation, consultation, and treatment must be signed by the physician responsible for conducting the radiological examination and must be a part of the patient's medical record. f. Radiation workers must be checked by film dosimeter to determine the amount of radiation to which they are routinely exposed. Records must be maintained to reflect each individual's exposure level. These checks must be conducted on a monthly basis until the radiation exposure history for the radiation worker indicates levels below maximum permissible dose for a period of one year. When radiation dose levels have remained below the maximum permissible dose for a year, radiation doses may be monitored on a quarterly basis as long as the exposure remains below the maximum permissible dose. 2. Primary care hospitals are subject to the radiology services requirements for general acute hospitals in this section. 3. Specialized hospitals shall provide radiology services to meet the needs of patients served consistent with the radiology services requirements for general acute hospitals in this section. If onsite radiology services are not necessary, such as in hospitals serving only psychiatric or substance abuse patients, the radiology services may be provided through a contractual agreement with an institution providing radiology services.