In response to a series of NY Times articles on mistakes made during radiation therapy procedures, the House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health has scheduled a hearing on this matter for this Thursday, weather in Washington, DC permitting.

The articles acknowledged that while serious or fatal errors are rare, the Times reported that eight states do not require proof of any educational training or requirements to operate diagnostic imaging equipment (this does not include the operation of mammography equipment). It was also reported that 16 states and the District of Columbia do not require licensing of medical physicists.

From the list of invited and/or confirmed to testify, the radiology community is taking this summons seriously. Scheduled to testify are representatives of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American College of Radiology, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, and the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance.

On top of the series of articles in the Times, the US Food and Drug Administration also has published a series of alerts regarding radiation overdoses in patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

According to the articles, the rate of advances in technology has outpaced safety procedures and quality assurance programs. Because these devices are so sophisticated and complex, even well-trained and qualified specialists may not know when an overdose or other adverse effect is happening. Additionally, even if a state has an oversight program, they often lack teeth or lack the resources to investigate incidents, the Times reported.