Is My CT Scanner XR-29 Compliant?

If you haven’t yet read our blog post titled, NEMA Standard XR-29 for CT- What Does It Mean for You?, go ahead and do that first, then come back. Don’t worry. We’ll wait.

Back yet? Great! So, you understand that being non-compliant on XR-29 only effects reimbursement levels at a 15% rate, max, and that upgrading your machine to become XR-29 compliant might not be financially worth the cost that it takes to do so. You also understand that, despite how it sounds, not being XR-29 compliant will not get you shut down nor will you be forced to upgrade your CT.

After reading that, are you still curious if your system is compliant? Well, you’ve come to the right place to find out. Directly from MITA, here are the four things your CT must have in order to be XR-29 compliant:

Your CT must have Automatic Exposure Control (AEC)

Without AEC, every time a CT scan is conducted, a clinician adjusts radiation dose to the individual patient’s anatomy in order to achieve the necessary image quality at minimal dose. However, this is challenging to do manually for every patient and every exam. AEC automatically does this part of the job for a consistenly minimized dose.

Your CT needs to have Adult and Pediatric Protocols

Protocols are sets of predetermined parameters for the CT equipment operator to choose from. They allow the radiation that the patient receives to be better tailored to the specific exam and clinical question. Manufacturers develop these parameters based on their knowledge of the equipment’s specific performance characteristics.

Your CT must have MITA Dose Check

Dose Check technology informs CT equipment operators when scan settings are likely to exceed established dose threshold levels. This is an automatic check that helps clinicians confirm correct settings prior to a scan.

Your CT must use DICOM Structured Reporting (DICOM SR)

DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) is a device communication standard used by imaging systems to communicate data between a scanner and connected computer systems. DICOM SR produces standardized reports from a CT scanner and lists the amount of ionizing radiation emitted per scan. This software allows radiation dose information to be included in the patient record.

Does your CT meet all of these criteria for XR-29 compliance? Do you need assistance in determining if it does? Are you interested in additional features like iterative reconstruction? We're happy to help you. Use the form on the right to tell us a bit about your site and your system and we’ll be in touch.