Section 114870.

The department shall do all of the following:

(a) Upon recommendation of the committee, adopt regulations as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this chapter.

(b) (1) Provide for certification of radiologic technologists, without limitation as to procedures or areas of application, except as provided in Section 106980. Separate certificates shall be provided for diagnostic radiologic technology, for mammographic radiologic technology, and for therapeutic radiologic technology. If a person has received accreditation to perform mammography from a private accreditation organization, the department shall consider this accreditation when deciding to issue a mammographic radiologic technology certificate.

(2) Provide, upon recommendation of the committee, that a radiologic technologist who operates digital radiography equipment devote a portion of his or her continuing education credit hours to continuing education in digital radiologic technology.

(c) (1) (A) Provide, as may be deemed appropriate, for granting limited permits to persons to conduct radiologic technology limited to the performance of certain procedures or the application of X-rays to specific areas of the human body, except for mammography, prescribe minimum standards of training and experience for these persons, and prescribe procedures for examining applicants for limited permits. The minimum standards shall include a requirement that persons granted limited permits under this subdivision shall meet those fundamental requirements in basic radiological health training and knowledge similar to those required for persons certified under subdivision (b) as the department determines are reasonably necessary for the protection of the health and safety of the public.

(B)  Provide that an applicant for approval as a limited permit X-ray technician in the categories of chest radiography, extremities radiography, gastrointestinal radiography, genitourinary radiography, leg-podiatric radiography, skull radiography, and torso-skeletal radiography, as these categories are defined in Section 30443 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, shall have at least 50 hours of education in radiological protection and safety. The department may allocate these hours as it deems appropriate.

(2) Provide that a limited permit X-ray technician in the categories of chest radiography, extremities radiography, gastrointestinal radiography, genitourinary radiography, leg-podiatric radiography, skull radiography, and torso-skeletal radiography, as these categories are defined in Section 30443 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, may perform digital radiography within their respective scopes of practice after completion of 20 hours or more of instruction in digital radiologic technology approved by the department. This requirement shall not be construed to preclude limited permit X-ray technicians in the categories of dental laboratory radiography and X-ray bone densitometry from performing digital radiography upon meeting the educational requirements determined by the department.

(3) Provide, upon recommendation of the committee, that a limited permit X-ray technician who has completed the initial instruction described in paragraph (2) devote a portion of his or her required continuing education credit hours to additional continuing instruction in digital radiologic technology.

(d) Provide for the approval of schools for radiologic technologists. Schools for radiologic technologists shall include 20 hours of approved instruction in digital radiography. The department may exempt a school from this requirement as it deems appropriate.

(e) Provide, upon recommendation of the committee, for certification of licentiates of the healing arts to supervise the operation of X-ray machines or to operate X-ray machines, or both, prescribe minimum standards of training and experience for these licentiates of the healing arts, and prescribe procedures for examining applicants for certification. This certification may limit the use of X-rays to certain X-ray procedures and the application of X-rays to specific areas of the human body.

(f) (1)  Provide for certification of any physician and surgeon to operate, and supervise the operation of, a bone densitometer, if that physician and surgeon provides the department a certificate that evidences training in the use of a bone densitometer by a representative of a bone densitometer machine manufacturer, or through any radiologic technology school. The certification shall be valid for the particular bone densitometer the physician and surgeon was trained to use, and for any other bone densitometer that meets all of the criteria specified in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, if the physician and surgeon has completed training, as specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2), for the use of that bone densitometer. The physician and surgeon shall, upon request of the department, provide evidence of training, pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2), for the use of any bone densitometer used by the physician and surgeon. The activity covered by the certificate shall be limited to the use of an X-ray bone densitometer to which all of the following is applicable:

(A) The bone densitometer does not require user intervention for calibration.

(B) The bone densitometer does not provide an image for diagnosis.

(C) The bone densitometer is used only to estimate bone density of the heel, wrist, or finger of the patient.

(2) The certificate shall be accompanied by a copy of the curriculum covered by the manufacturer's representative or radiologic technology school. The curriculum shall include, at a minimum, instruction in all of the following areas:

(A) Procedures for operation of the bone densitometer by the physician and surgeon, and for the supervision of the operation of the bone densitometer by other persons, including procedures for quality assurance of the bone densitometer.

(B) Proper radiation protection of the operator, the patient, and third parties in proximity to the bone densitometer.

(C) Provisions of Article 5 (commencing with Section 106955) of Chapter 4 of Part 1 of Division 104.

(D) Provisions of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 114840) of Part 9 of Division 104.

(E) Provisions of Group 1 (commencing with Section 30100) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(F) Provisions of Group 1.5 (commencing with Section 30108) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(G) Provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 30250) of Group 3 of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(H) Provisions of Article 2 (commencing with Section 30254) of Group 3 of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(I) Provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 30265) of Group 3 of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(J) Provisions of Article 4 (commencing with Section 30305) of Group 3 of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(K) Provisions of Subchapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 30400) of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(3) (A)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this subdivision shall constitute all the requirements that must be met by a physician and surgeon in order to operate, and supervise the operation of, a bone densitometer. The department may adopt regulations consistent with this section in order to administer the certification requirements.

(B) No person may be supervised by a physician and surgeon in the use of a bone densitometer unless that person possesses the necessary license or permit required by the department.

(C) Nothing in this subdivision shall affect the requirements imposed by the committee or the department for the registration of a bone densitometer machine, or for the inspection of facilities in which any bone densitometer machine is operated.

(D) This subdivision shall not apply to a licentiate of the healing arts who is certified pursuant to subdivision (e) or pursuant to Section 107111.

(E) The department shall charge a fee for a certificate issued pursuant to this subdivision to the extent necessary to administer certification. The fee shall be in an amount sufficient to cover the department's costs of implementing this subdivision and shall not exceed the fee for certification to operate or supervise the operation of an X-ray machine pursuant to subdivision (e). The fees collected pursuant to this subparagraph shall be deposited into the Radiation Control Fund established pursuant to Section 114980.

(g) Upon recommendation of the committee, exempt from certification requirements those licentiates of the healing arts who have successfully completed formal courses in schools certified by the department and who have successfully passed a roentgenology technology and radiation protection examination approved by the department and administered by the board that issued his or her license.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 537, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2007.)