North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S415 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-S 1
4-SENATE BILL 415
3+S D
4+SENATE BILL DRS45234-NBf-20
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Patient Safety/Med. Imaging/Radiation Therapy. (Public)
89 Sponsors: Senators Moffitt, Jones, and Hanig (Primary Sponsors).
9-Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
10-March 25, 2025
11-*S415 -v-1*
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRS45234 -NBf-20*
1213 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1314 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR AND ENHANCING PATIENT SAFETY IN MEDICAL 2
1415 IMAGING BY ENSURING EDUCATIONALLY PREPARED AND CLINICALLY 3
1516 COMPETENT PERSONS PERFORM AND ADMINISTER MEDICAL IMAGING AND 4
1617 RADIATION THERAPY PROCEDURES. 5
1718 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
1819 SECTION 1. Chapter 90 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 7
1920 to read: 8
2021 "Article 44. 9
2122 "Radiologic Technologists, Radiation Therapists, Sonographers. 10
2223 "§ 90-750. Short title; findings. 11
2324 (a) This Article may be cited as the "Patient Safety in Medical Imaging Act." 12
2425 (b) The General Assembly finds and declares that citizens in this State are entitled to the 13
2526 highest quality of care and maximum protection practicable from the harmful effects of 14
2627 improperly performed medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures and that protection and 15
2728 quality can be increased by requiring appropriate education and licensure of persons operating 16
2829 equipment used for medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. Therefore, it is essential 17
2930 to establish standards of education for these professionals and to provide for appropriate 18
3031 examination and licensure. 19
3132 "§ 90-751. Definitions. 20
3233 The following definitions apply in this Article: 21
3334 (1) Board. – The Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners. 22
3435 (2) Bone densitometry. – The determination of bone mass by means of the 23
3536 radiation absorption by a skeleton or part of a skeleton. 24
3637 (3) Cardiac electrophysiology specialist. – A person who is registered to perform, 25
3738 under the supervision of a qualified physician, radiographic procedures and 26
3839 studies using external ionizing radiation to produce fluoroscopic images. 27
3940 (4) Cardiovascular invasive specialist. – A person who is registered to perform, 28
4041 under the supervision of a qualified physician, radiographic procedures using 29
4142 external ionizing radiation to produce fluoroscopic images. 30
4243 (5) Certification organization. – A national certification organization that 31
4344 specializes in the certification and registration of medical imaging or radiation 32
4445 therapy technical personnel and is accredited by the National Commission for 33
4546 Certifying Agencies, the American National Standards Institute, or other 34
46-accreditation organization recognized by the Board. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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47+accreditation organization recognized by the Board. 35
48+FILED SENATE
49+Mar 24, 2025
50+S.B. 415
51+PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRS45234-NBf-20
4853 (6) Computed tomography. – The process of producing sectional and 1
4954 three-dimensional images using external ionizing radiation for diagnostic or 2
5055 therapeutic purposes. 3
5156 (7) Diagnostic medical sonographer. – A person who is licensed under this Article 4
5257 to perform diagnostic medical sonography procedures using high-frequency 5
5358 sound waves with specialized equipment to direct the sound waves into an 6
5459 area of the human body to generate an image for diagnostic purposes or for 7
5560 the purpose of providing guidance during medical interventions. 8
5661 (8) Diagnostic medical sonography. – The use of high-frequency sound waves 9
5762 (ultrasound) with specialized equipment to direct the sound waves into an area 10
5863 of the human body to generate an image for diagnostic or therapeutic 11
5964 purposes. 12
6065 (9) Fluoroscopy. – The continuous exposure of a patient to X rays in real-time 13
6166 imaging of structures inside of the body during real-time procedures. 14
6267 (10) Hybrid imaging. – The combination of imaging technologies that allows 15
6368 information from different modalities to be presented as a single set of images. 16
6469 (11) Ionizing radiation. – As defined by G.S. 104E-5(9). 17
6570 (12) Licensed practitioner. – A person licensed to practice medicine, dentistry, 18
6671 podiatry, or chiropractic medicine in this State. 19
6772 (13) Limited practice radiographer. – A person who is licensed under this Article 20
6873 to perform, under the supervision of a radiographer or licensed practitioner, 21
6974 radiography or bone densitometry procedures resulting in diagnostic 22
7075 radiographic images of selected specific parts of human anatomy or bone 23
7176 density measurements. 24
7277 (14) Magnetic resonance. – The use of radiofrequencies within a magnetic field for 25
7378 diagnostic, therapeutic, or research purposes. 26
7479 (15) Medical imaging. – Any procedure or article intended for use in the diagnosis 27
7580 or visualization of disease or other medical conditions in human beings, 28
7681 including radiography, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance, 29
7782 sonography, and other procedures using ionizing radiation or nonionizing 30
7883 radiation. 31
7984 (16) Medical imaging professional. – An individual other than a licensed 32
8085 practitioner who has undergone appropriate training and testing by a 33
8186 Board-approved certification organization to be licensed in the individual's 34
8287 practicing modality. 35
8388 (17) Mobile imaging. – Any arrangement in which medical imaging services are 36
8489 transported to various sites. This term does not include movement within a 37
8590 hospital or movement to a site where the equipment will be located 38
8691 permanently. 39
8792 (18) Modality. – Technologies used in the diagnosis or treatment of disease or other 40
8893 medical conditions in human beings, including all of the following: 41
8994 a. Diagnostic medical sonography and its specializations. 42
9095 b. Magnetic resonance. 43
9196 c. Nuclear medicine and its specializations. 44
9297 d. Radiation therapy and its specializations. 45
9398 e. Radiography and its specializations. 46
9499 (19) Nuclear medicine technologist. – A person who is licensed under this Article 47
95100 to perform nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures using sealed 48
96101 and unsealed radiation sources, ionizing and nonionizing radiation, adjunctive 49
97102 medicines, and therapeutic procedures using unsealed radioactive sources. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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99104 (20) Public member. – A resident of North Carolina who is not a licensed 1
100105 practitioner, does not perform medical imaging or radiation therapy 2
101106 procedures under this Article, and is not affiliated with any group or 3
102107 profession that provides or regulates health care or that may, in any way, 4
103108 hinder the public member in representing the interest of the public. 5
104109 (21) Radiation therapist. – A person who is licensed under this Article to perform 6
105110 procedures involving the administration of external source ionizing radiation 7
106111 to human beings for therapeutic purposes. 8
107112 (22) Radiographer. – A person who is licensed under this Article to perform a 9
108113 comprehensive set of diagnostic radiographic procedures using external 10
109114 ionizing radiation to produce radiographic, fluoroscopic, or digital images. 11
110115 (23) Radiologist. – A physician licensed under Article 1 of this Chapter who is 12
111116 Board-eligible for certification or who is certified by the American Board of 13
112117 Radiology, the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology, the British Royal 14
113118 College of Radiology, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of 15
114119 Canada. 16
115120 (24) Radiologist assistant. – A licensed radiographer who is additionally licensed 17
116121 under this Article to perform a variety of activities under the supervision of a 18
117122 radiologist in the areas of patient care, patient management, and medical 19
118123 imaging procedures. 20
119124 "§ 90-752. License required; exemptions. 21
120125 (a) License Required. – Except as provided in this section, only a person currently 22
121126 licensed under this Article may perform or offer to perform radiologic imaging or radiation 23
122127 therapy procedures on humans for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes or otherwise indicate or 24
123128 imply that the person is licensed to perform radiologic imaging or radiation therapy procedures. 25
124129 (b) License Required for Employment. – No person or business entity shall knowingly 26
125130 employ a person who does not hold a license, or is not exempt under this Article, to perform 27
126131 radiologic imaging or radiation therapy procedures on humans for diagnostic or therapeutic 28
127132 purposes. 29
128133 (c) No Limitation or Enlargement of Practice. – Nothing in this Article shall limit or 30
129134 enlarge the practice of a licensed practitioner. 31
130135 (d) Exemptions. – The provisions of this Article shall not apply to the following: 32
131136 (1) A licensed practitioner performing medical imaging procedures or 33
132137 administering radiation therapy. 34
133138 (2) A registered dental hygienist (RDH). 35
134139 (3) A dental assistant I or II who has satisfactorily completed one of the following: 36
135140 a. The North Carolina radiography equivalency examination. 37
136141 b. Dental assisting school through an American Dental 38
137142 Association-accredited program. 39
138143 c. The Dental Assisting National Board examination. 40
139144 d. Classification as a dental assistant II in this State under the laws 41
140145 regulating the practice of dentistry. 42
141146 (4) A resident physician licensed under Article 1 of this Chapter. 43
142147 (5) A student enrolled in and attending a school or college of medicine or medical 44
143148 imaging or radiation therapy who performs medical imaging or radiation 45
144149 therapy procedures on humans while under the supervision of a licensed 46
145150 practitioner, or an individual holding a license under this Article. 47
146151 (6) A person administering radiologic imaging or radiation procedures as an 48
147152 employee of the United States government. 49
148153 (7) A person performing radiologic procedures or therapy on cadavers. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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150155 (8) A person licensed to perform radiologic imaging or radiation therapy who is 1
151156 performing supervised clinical procedures in preparation for certification in 2
152157 an additional radiologic imaging or radiation therapy modality who has 3
153158 registered with the Board. The Board may grant this exemption for a period 4
154159 not to exceed three years, and this exemption may be renewed by the Board. 5
155160 (9) Chiropractic students as described in G.S. 90-142.1 and diagnostic imaging 6
156161 technicians as described in G.S. 90-143.2. 7
157162 (10) A licensed veterinarian performing medical imaging procedures or 8
158163 administering radiation therapy, or to an individual employed by, or engaged 9
159164 as an independent contractor by, a licensed veterinarian that performs a 10
160165 medical imaging procedure or administers radiation therapy in the ordinary 11
161166 course of their employment or engagement. 12
162167 (11) An individual employed by, or engaged as an independent contractor by, a 13
163168 podiatrist that performs medical imaging procedures in the ordinary course of 14
164169 their employment or engagement. 15
165170 "§ 90-753. Scope of practice; limitations. 16
166171 (a) The Board shall establish licensure standards for the following radiologic imaging 17
167172 and radiation therapy modalities: 18
168173 (1) Computed tomography. 19
169174 (2) Cardiac invasive specialist. 20
170175 (3) Cardiac electrophysiology specialist. 21
171176 (4) Diagnostic medical sonography. 22
172177 (5) Limited practice radiographer. 23
173178 (6) Magnetic resonance. 24
174179 (7) Nuclear medicine technologist. 25
175180 (8) Radiation therapist. 26
176181 (9) Radiographer. 27
177182 (10) Radiologist assistant. 28
178183 (b) A person licensed in medical imaging or radiation therapy under this Article may use 29
179184 radioactive substances, equipment emitting ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation for 30
180185 medical imaging, or radiation therapy procedures only by prescription of an individual authorized 31
181186 by the State to prescribe medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures and under the 32
182187 supervision of a licensed practitioner. 33
183188 (c) Individuals licensed as limited practice radiographers shall perform tasks only within 34
184189 the scope of the specific permit issued to them as provided in G.S. 90-756(c)(1) under the 35
185190 supervision of a licensed practitioner or radiographer and shall not perform computed 36
186191 tomography, diagnostic medical sonography, fluoroscopy, mammography, magnetic resonance 37
187192 imaging, radiation therapy, mobile imaging procedures, or imaging procedures using contrast 38
188193 media. 39
189194 (d) Individuals licensed as cardiovascular invasive specialists shall be registered and 40
190195 licensed to perform, under the supervision of a qualified physician, radiographic procedures 41
191196 using external ionizing radiation to produce fluoroscopic images. To qualify for a license under 42
192197 this subsection, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements: 43
193198 (1) Possess a high school diploma or equivalent. 44
194199 (2) Possess a current certification in advanced cardiac life support. 45
195200 (3) Complete an accredited cardiovascular technology program. 46
196201 (4) Possess current credentials as a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist 47
197202 offered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International, Cardiac Interventional 48
198203 Radiography, or Cardiovascular Interventional Radiography, as offered by the 49
199204 American Registry Radiologic Technologists or other certification 50
200205 organization as approved by the Board. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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202207 (e) Individuals licensed as cardiovascular electrophysiology specialists shall be 1
203208 registered and licensed to perform, under the supervision of a qualified physician, radiographic 2
204209 procedures using external ionizing radiation to produce fluoroscopic images. To qualify for a 3
205210 license under this subsection, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements: 4
206211 (1) Possess a high school diploma or equivalent. 5
207212 (2) Possess a certificate or degree in health science or possess two years of 6
208213 full-time work experience in diagnostic and interventional cardiac 7
209214 electrophysiology. 8
210215 (3) Graduate from an accredited program in electrophysiology. 9
211216 (4) Possess current credentials as a registered cardiovascular electrophysiology 10
212217 specialist offered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International or other 11
213218 certification organization as approved by the Board. 12
214219 (f) Effective January 1, 2026, all individuals licensed to perform medical imaging and 13
215220 radiation therapy who perform computed tomography for diagnostic purposes must be certified 14
216221 in computed tomography by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the Nuclear 15
217222 Medicine Technology Certification Board, or another certification organization recognized by 16
218223 the Board. 17
219224 (g) A person licensed to perform nuclear medicine technology may perform computed 18
220225 tomography for attenuation correction and localization on hybrid imaging equipment. 19
221226 (h) A person licensed to perform radiation therapy may perform computed tomography 20
222227 or other modalities for treatment planning purposes. 21
223228 (i) A person licensed to perform radiography may perform fluoroscopy and bone 22
224229 densitometry. 23
225230 (j) A person licensed as a radiologist assistant shall not interpret images, make diagnoses, 24
226231 or prescribe medications or therapies. 25
227232 "§ 90-754. Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners. 26
228233 (a) Composition of Board. – The North Carolina Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy 27
229234 Board of Examiners is hereby created. The Board shall consist of a maximum of nine members 28
230235 appointed by the Governor and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The initial Board shall 29
231236 be appointed within 90 days following the effective date of this section. The members of the 30
232237 Board shall include: 31
233238 (1) One licensed nuclear medicine technologist. 32
234239 (2) One licensed practitioner who is a radiologist and supervises medical imaging 33
235240 or radiation therapy professionals. 34
236241 (3) One certified radiological or therapeutic physicist. 35
237242 (4) One licensed radiation therapist. 36
238243 (5) One licensed computed tomography technologist or radiographer. 37
239244 (6) One licensed magnetic resonance imaging technologist or licensed 38
240245 sonographer. 39
241246 (7) One radiologist assistant. 40
242247 (8) One retired medical imaging professional as public member. 41
243248 (9) One licensed radiography educator. 42
244249 (b) Board Member Qualifications for Appointment. – In addition to the requirements of 43
245250 subsection (a) of this section, Board members shall meet the following qualifications: 44
246251 (1) Each Board member shall be a resident of the State of North Carolina. 45
247252 (2) The public member shall be at least 21 years of age. 46
248253 (3) Except for the public member and the licensed practitioners, each Board 47
249254 member shall have at least two years of experience performing medical 48
250255 imaging or radiation therapy in the modality for which the Board member is 49
251256 appointed. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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253258 (c) Terms of Office. – The terms of office shall be three years, except that the terms of 1
254259 the members appointed to the initial Board shall be as follows: three members shall be appointed 2
255260 for a term of one year, three members for a term of two years, and three members for a term of 3
256261 three years. Vacancies shall be filled for an unexpired term only in the manner provided by the 4
257262 original appointment. No member shall be eligible for appointment to serve more than two 5
258263 consecutive terms. 6
259264 (d) Temporary Board Exemption to License Requirements. – A person who performs 7
260265 medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures and is appointed to the initial Board shall not 8
261266 be required to hold a valid license issued by the Board until 12 months after the first issuance of 9
262267 a license by the Board. 10
263268 (e) Compensation and Expenses. – Each member of the Board shall receive per diem and 11
264269 reimbursement for travel and subsistence as provided in G.S. 93B-5. 12
265270 (f) Officers. – The officers of the Board shall be a chair and a vice-chair, and other 13
266271 officers deemed necessary by the Board to carry out the purposes of this Article. All officers shall 14
267272 be elected annually by the Board for one-year terms and shall serve until their successors are 15
268273 elected and qualified. 16
269274 (g) Meetings. – The Board shall hold four meetings each year, once per quarter, to 17
270275 conduct business and to review the standards and rules for improving the administration of 18
271276 medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures. The Board shall establish the procedures for 19
272277 calling, holding, and conducting regular and special meetings. A majority of Board members 20
273278 constitutes a quorum. 21
274279 (h) Meeting Attendance. – A member of the Board who fails to attend three meetings in 22
275280 an 18-month period shall forfeit the member's seat unless the chair, upon written request from 23
276281 the member, finds that the member should be excused from a meeting because of illness or death 24
277282 of a family member. 25
278283 (i) Quorum. – A majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. 26
279284 No action may be taken by the Board except by affirmative vote of the majority of those present 27
280285 and voting. 28
281286 "§ 90-755. Powers of the Board. 29
282287 The Board shall have the following powers and duties: 30
283288 (1) Administer this Article. 31
284289 (2) Issue interpretations of this Article. 32
285290 (3) Adopt rules as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Article. 33
286291 (4) Establish the scope of practice for each license or permit type issued by the 34
287292 Board. 35
288293 (5) Employ and fix the compensation of personnel that the Board determines is 36
289294 necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this Article and incur other 37
290295 expenses necessary to effectuate this Article. 38
291296 (6) Examine and determine the qualifications and fitness of applicants for 39
292297 licensure, renewal of licensure, and reciprocal licensure. The Board may, in 40
293298 its discretion, revise the licensing requirements of this Article for areas of 41
294299 North Carolina that the Board deems too remote to contain enough qualified 42
295300 licensees to perform medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures on 43
296301 humans for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. 44
297302 (7) Set requirements for continuing education as a requirement for license 45
298303 renewal. The Board may review and accept the continuing education and 46
299304 recertification or continuing competency requirements established by a 47
300305 medical imaging or radiation therapy certification organization for license 48
301306 renewal. 49
302307 (8) Issue, renew, deny, suspend, or revoke licenses and carry out any disciplinary 50
303308 actions authorized by this Article. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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305310 (9) Set fees for licensure, license renewal, and other services deemed necessary 1
306311 to carry out the purposes of this Article. 2
307312 (10) Conduct investigations for the purpose of determining whether violations of 3
308313 this Article or grounds for disciplining licensees exist. 4
309314 (11) Conduct administrative hearings in accordance with Article 3A of Chapter 5
310315 150B of the General Statutes. 6
311316 (12) Maintain a record of all proceedings and make available to licensees and other 7
312317 concerned parties an annual report of all Board action. 8
313318 (13) Develop standards and adopt rules for the improvement of the administration 9
314319 of medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures in this State. 10
315320 (14) Adopt a seal containing the name of the Board for use on all licenses and 11
316321 official reports issued by the Board. 12
317322 (15) Establish criteria and standards for educational programs offered in the State 13
318323 on medical imaging and radiation therapy. 14
319324 (16) Approve medical imaging and radiation therapy educational programs that the 15
320325 Board determines meet the criteria and standards established by the Board. 16
321326 "§ 90-756. Requirements for licensure. 17
322327 (a) A person seeking to obtain a license for a radiologic imaging or radiation therapy 18
323328 modality shall comply with each of the following requirements: 19
324329 (1) At least 18 years of age at the time of application. 20
325330 (2) Has a high school diploma or has passed an approved equivalency test. 21
326331 (b) Limited Practice Radiographer. – In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of 22
327332 this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a limited radiologist assistant shall comply 23
328333 with each of the following requirements: 24
329334 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in limited X-ray machine operation 25
330335 approved by the Board. 26
331336 (2) Pass an examination in limited X-ray machine operation approved by the 27
332337 Board from the following examinations: 28
333338 a. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists limited X-ray 29
334339 machine operator examination for limited bone density, chest, 30
335340 extremities, spine, skull/sinus, and podiatric radiography. 31
336341 b. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry examination in 32
337342 clinical bone densitometry. 33
338343 c. A certification organization recognized by the Board. 34
339344 (c) Magnetic Resonance Technologist License. – In addition to the requirements of 35
340345 subsection (a) of this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a magnetic resonance 36
341346 technologist shall comply with each of the following requirements: 37
342347 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in magnetic resonance imaging or a 38
343348 course in radiography and additional educational requirements in magnetic 39
344349 resonance technology approved by the Board. 40
345350 (2) Possess current certification and registration in radiography from the 41
346351 American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or current certification and 42
347352 registration in magnetic resonance from the American Registry of Radiologic 43
348353 Technologists or a certification organization approved by the Board. 44
349354 (3) By January 1, 2026, all applicants for a license under this subsection shall be 45
350355 certified in magnetic resonance under subdivision (2) of this subsection. 46
351356 (d) Nuclear Medicine Technologist License. – In addition to the requirements of 47
352357 subsection (a) of this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a nuclear medicine 48
353358 technologist shall comply with each of the following requirements: 49
354359 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in nuclear medicine technology 50
355360 approved by the Board. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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357362 (2) Possess current certification and registration in nuclear medicine technology 1
358363 from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the Nuclear 2
359364 Medicine Technology Certification Board, or a certification organization 3
360365 approved by the Board. 4
361366 (e) Radiation Therapist License. – In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of 5
362367 this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a radiation therapist shall comply with each 6
363368 of the following requirements: 7
364369 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in radiation therapy approved by the 8
365370 Board. 9
366371 (2) Possess current certification and registration in radiation therapy from the 10
367372 American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or a certification organization 11
368373 recognized by the Board. 12
369374 (f) Radiographer License. – In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this 13
370375 section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a radiographer shall comply with each of the 14
371376 following requirements: 15
372377 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in radiography approved by the 16
373378 Board. 17
374379 (2) Possess current certification and registration in radiography from the 18
375380 American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or a certification organization 19
376381 approved by the Board. 20
377382 (g) Radiologist Assistant License. – A person seeking to obtain a license as a radiologist 21
378383 assistant shall comply with each of the following requirements: 22
379384 (1) Hold a current license as a radiographer and be currently certified and 23
380385 registered as a radiographer by the American Registry of Radiologic 24
381386 Technologists under subsection (f) of this section. 25
382387 (2) Hold current certification and registration as a radiologist assistant or as a 26
383388 radiology practitioner assistant by the American Registry of Radiologic 27
384389 Technologists, the Certification Board of Radiology Practitioner Assistants, 28
385390 or a certification organization approved by the Board. 29
386391 (3) Submit to the Board clinical protocols signed by the supervising radiologist 30
387392 specifying procedures that are performed by the radiologist assistant, levels of 31
388393 radiologist supervision, and locations of practice designated by the 32
389394 supervising radiologist. Updated protocols shall be submitted biannually, 33
390395 consistent with license renewal. The radiologist assistant scope of practice 34
391396 shall be consistent with the most recent version of the Radiologist Assistant 35
392397 Practice Standards published by the American Society of Radiologic 36
393398 Technologists. 37
394399 (h) Sonographer License. – In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this 38
395400 section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a sonographer shall comply with each of the 39
396401 following requirements: 40
397402 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in sonography approved by the 41
398403 Board. 42
399404 (2) Possess current certification and registration in sonography from the 43
400405 American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the American Registry of 44
401406 Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Cardiovascular Credentialing International, 45
402407 or a certification organization approved by the Board. 46
403408 (i) Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist License. – In addition to the requirements of 47
404409 subsection (a) of this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a cardiac electrophysiology 48
405410 specialist shall comply with each of the following requirements: 49
406411 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in cardiac electrophysiology 50
407412 approved by the Board. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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409414 (2) Possess current certification in cardiac electrophysiology from Cardiovascular 1
410415 Credentialing International or a certification organization approved by the 2
411416 Board. 3
412417 (j) Cardiac Invasive Specialist License. – In addition to the requirements of subsection 4
413418 (a) of this section, a person seeking to obtain a license as a cardiac invasive specialist shall 5
414419 comply with each of the following requirements: 6
415420 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in cardiac invasive procedures 7
416421 approved by the Board. 8
417422 (2) Possess current certification as a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist 9
418423 offered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International, Cardiac Interventional 10
419424 Radiography, Cardiovascular Interventional Radiography as offered by the 11
420425 American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, or other certification 12
421426 organizations approved by the Board. 13
422427 (k) Computed Tomography License. – In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) 14
423428 of this section, a person seeking to obtain a license in computed tomography shall comply with 15
424429 each of the following requirements: 16
425430 (1) Successfully complete a course of study in computed tomography approved 17
426431 by the Board. 18
427432 (2) Possess current certification and registration in computed tomography from 19
428433 the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the Nuclear Medicine 20
429434 Technology Certification Board, or a certification organization approved by 21
430435 the Board. 22
431436 (l) Current Professionals at Time of Act. – The Board shall issue a license under this 23
432437 Article, within two years of the effective date of this Article, to a person practicing as a medical 24
433438 imaging professional, radiation therapist, or radiologist assistant if the person holds a current 25
434439 license or certification in one of those respective modalities or fields issued by a medical imaging 26
435440 certification organization approved by the Board. 27
436441 (m) Change of Name or Address. – A person holding a license or permit issued under this 28
437442 Article shall notify the Board in writing within 90 days of any name or address change. 29
438443 (n) Failure to Maintain Required Certification and Registration. – Within 30 days, a 30
439444 licensee shall submit written notification to the Board if the licensee meets any of the following 31
440445 criteria: 32
441446 (1) Fails to maintain a required certification and registration by a certification 33
442447 organization. 34
443448 (2) Is subject to any legal or disciplinary action other than minor traffic infractions 35
444449 or is subject to proceedings for acts or conduct substantially the same as acts 36
445450 or conduct that would constitute grounds for refusal to issue, refusal to renew, 37
446451 suspension, revocation, or other discipline of an applicant or a person holding 38
447452 license or permit under this Article by any of the following: 39
448453 a. Licensing jurisdiction, whether in the United States or foreign. 40
449454 b. Health care institution. 41
450455 c. Professional society or association. 42
451456 d. Certification organization. 43
452457 e. Government agency. 44
453458 f. Law enforcement agency. 45
454459 g. Court. 46
455460 "§ 90-757. Examinations. 47
456461 (a) Evidence of Examination. – To meet the requirement of examination under this 48
457462 Article for nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, radiography, radiologist assistant, or 49
458463 sonography, the Board shall accept current certification and registration by a certification 50
459464 organization recognized by the Board in the applicant's or licensee's modality. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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461466 (b) Limited Practice Radiographer Examination. – The Board shall use a limited practice 1
462467 radiographer examination administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists 2
463468 for persons applying for a limited practice radiographer license and permit in chest, extremity, 3
464469 spine, skull/sinus, or podiatric radiography or bone densitometry testing. The Board shall 4
465470 determine by regulation the examination score that constitutes successful completion. 5
466471 (c) Acceptance of Chiropractic Radiologic Technologist Certification. – The Board may 6
467472 accept certification and registration from a certification organization approved by the Board to 7
468473 meet the requirement of this subsection for successful completion of an examination for a person 8
469474 applying for a limited practice radiographer license and permit in spine radiography who works 9
470475 under the supervision of a chiropractor. 10
471476 "§ 90-758. Issuance of license; temporary license; display of license. 11
472477 (a) Issuance of License. – The Board shall issue a license to an applicant who meets the 12
473478 requirements for licensure specified in this Article and the regulations adopted by the Board, 13
474479 verified by oath or affirmation, upon payment of a fee as provided in G.S. 90-761. 14
475480 (b) The Board may issue a license with authorization to perform more than one medical 15
476481 imaging or radiation therapy modality if the person is qualified in each modality. 16
477482 (c) Temporary License. – The Board may issue a temporary license to any person whose 17
478483 license or license renewal may be pending or when issuance is for providing medical imaging or 18
479484 radiation therapy services to medically underserved areas as determined by the Board. 19
480485 (d) New graduates awaiting national certification may be issued a provisional license for 20
481486 employment purposes for a period not to exceed one year. 21
482487 (e) Temporary License for Cross-Training. – A person licensed under this Article may 22
483488 apply to the Board for a temporary license in an additional medical imaging or radiation therapy 23
484489 modality to complete clinical experience requirements for an applicable training pathway 24
485490 established by a certification organization recognized by the Board. Temporary licenses issued 25
486491 for training purposes shall expire three years after issuance. 26
487492 (f) Display of License; License to Be Available Upon Request. – The copy of the current 27
488493 license of all license holders must be maintained at their places of employment. 28
489494 "§ 90-759. Educational programs approved by the Board. 29
490495 (a) In order to obtain approval by the Board, educational programs in medical imaging 30
491496 or radiation therapy shall (i) be offered by a medical facility or educational institution and (ii) be 31
492497 affiliated with one or more hospitals or clinics to provide the requisite clinical education. 32
493498 (b) The curriculum for each course of study in medical imaging or radiation therapy shall 33
494499 be no less stringent than the standards approved by the Joint Review Committee on Education in 34
495500 Radiologic Technology, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Nuclear Medicine 35
496501 Technology, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or other 36
497502 educational accreditation agency approved by the Board. 37
498503 "§ 90-760. License renewal; reciprocity. 38
499504 (a) Every license issued under this Article shall expire on the last day of the licensee's 39
500505 month of birth in the second year following the year of issuance. A licensee who fails to renew a 40
501506 license prior to the expiration date shall submit an application for reinstatement to obtain 41
502507 licensure. The license shall be renewed upon the payment of a renewal fee, as provided in 42
503508 G.S. 90-761, if, at the time of application for renewal, the applicant is not in violation of this 43
504509 Article and has complied with any continuing education requirements pursuant to rules adopted 44
505510 by the Board. 45
506511 (b) The Board shall notify a licensee at least 60 days in advance of the expiration of his 46
507512 or her license. The licensee shall inform the Board of any change of the licensee's address. Each 47
508513 licensee is responsible for renewing his or her license before the expiration date. Licenses that 48
509514 are not renewed automatically lapse. 49 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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511516 (c) The Board may provide for the late renewal of an automatically lapsed license upon 1
512517 the payment of a reinstatement fee. The licensee shall maintain certification in his or her licensed 2
513518 specialty throughout the licensure period established by the credentialing body. 3
514519 (d) The Board may, upon application and payment of proper fees, issue a license to a 4
515520 person who has been licensed, registered, or certified to perform medical imaging or radiation 5
516521 therapy procedures in another jurisdiction if that jurisdiction's standards are substantially 6
517522 equivalent to those provided in this Article and the regulations adopted by the Board. 7
518523 "§ 90-761. Fees. 8
519524 (a) The Board is authorized to charge and collect fees not to exceed the following: 9
520525 (1) Initial, provisional, or temporary license application fee, one hundred dollars 10
521526 ($100.00). 11
522527 (2) Biennial license fee, one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00). 12
523528 (3) Temporary license fee, one hundred dollars ($100.00). 13
524529 (4) Duplicate license, twenty-five dollars ($25.00). 14
525530 (5) License renewal late fee, seventy-five dollars ($75.00). 15
526531 (b) All fees shall be set by the Board pursuant to rules adopted under this Article. All fees 16
527532 payable to the Board shall be deposited in the name of the Board in financial institutions 17
528533 designated by the Board as official depositories and shall be used to pay all expenses incurred in 18
529534 carrying out the purposes of this Article. 19
530535 (c) All salaries, compensation, and expenses incurred to carry out the purposes of this 20
531536 Article shall be paid by the Board exclusively out of the fees received by the Board as authorized 21
532537 by this Article or out of funds received from other sources. 22
533538 "§ 90-762. Disciplinary authority. 23
534539 (a) The Board may deny, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license or impose 24
535540 probationary conditions on a license if the licensee or applicant for licensure has engaged in any 25
536541 of the following conduct: 26
537542 (1) Obtaining a license by means of fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment of 27
538543 material facts. 28
539544 (2) Engaging in unprofessional conduct pursuant to rules adopted by the Board. 29
540545 (3) Having been convicted of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a crime 30
541546 involving moral turpitude or any crime that indicates that the licensee or 31
542547 applicant is unfit or incompetent to administer medical imaging or radiation 32
543548 therapy procedures or that the licensee or applicant has deceived or defrauded 33
544549 the public. 34
545550 (4) Engaging in any act or practice in violation of any of the provisions of this 35
546551 Article or any rule adopted by the Board or aiding, abetting, or assisting any 36
547552 person in a violation. 37
548553 (5) Committing an act or acts of malpractice, gross negligence, or incompetence 38
549554 in administering medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures. 39
550555 (6) Practicing as a person licensed to administer medical imaging or radiation 40
551556 therapy procedures without a current license. 41
552557 (7) Engaging in conduct that could result in harm or injury to the public. 42
553558 (8) Being unfit or incompetent to administer medical imaging or radiation therapy 43
554559 services by reason of deliberate or negligent acts or omissions, regardless of 44
555560 whether actual injury to a patient is established. 45
556561 (b) The denial, refusal to renew, suspension, revocation, or imposition of probationary 46
557562 conditions upon a license may be ordered by the Board after a hearing held in accordance with 47
558563 Chapter 150B of the General Statutes and rules adopted by the Board. An application may be 48
559564 made to the Board for reinstatement of a revoked license if the revocation has been in effect for 49
560565 at least two years after the date of the Board's order revoking the license. 50
561566 "§ 90-763. Violation a misdemeanor; injunctive relief. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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563568 (a) Any person who violates any provision of this Article shall be guilty of a Class 1 1
564569 misdemeanor. Each act of such unlawful practice shall constitute a distinct and separate offense. 2
565570 (b) The Board may make application to any appropriate court for an order enjoining 3
566571 violations of this Article, and upon a showing by the Board that any person has violated or is 4
567572 about to violate this Article, the court may grant an injunction or restraining order or take other 5
568573 appropriate action." 6
569574 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding the requirements of G.S. 90-754, as enacted by 7
570575 Section 1 of this act, the initial appointees to the Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board 8
571576 of Examiners filling the membership positions for licensed radiologist, licensed nuclear medicine 9
572577 technologist, licensed radiation therapist, and licensed sonographer do not have to meet the 10
573578 licensure requirements established in Section 1 of this act, provided that these initial appointees 11
574579 shall apply for and obtain a license from the Board within 90 days after the Board begins issuing 12
575580 licenses. 13
576581 SECTION 3. Persons other than radiologist assistants who have been engaged in the 14
577582 practice of medical imaging and radiation therapy and who do not hold a current registration 15
578583 from a voluntary professional certification organization approved by the Medical Imaging and 16
579584 Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners may continue to practice in the modality of medical 17
580585 imaging or radiation therapy in which they are currently employed provided that they (i) register 18
581586 with the Board on or before October 1, 2026, (ii) do not change the scope of their current 19
582587 employment practice, (iii) complete all continuing education requirements for their area of 20
583588 practice annually as prescribed by the Board, and (iv) practice only under the supervision of a 21
584589 radiologist. 22
585590 SECTION 4. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, the 23
586591 invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this act that can be given effect 24
587592 without the invalid provisions or application and, to this end, the provisions of this act are 25
588593 severable. 26
589594 SECTION 5. The Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners may 27
590595 adopt rules to implement the provisions of this act once the Board is appointed by the Governor 28
591596 under this act. 29
592597 SECTION 6. Section 1 of this act becomes effective January 1, 2026. The remainder 30
593598 of this act is effective when it becomes law. 31