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Re: medical isotopes - patient expense
How much more could it possibly cost an institution to type up instructions
for each radioisotope test they provide, run them off (bulk)and hand them
out to the patients along with the discharge instructions.
The hospitals in my area do not tell you the "details" of your
"radioisotope procedure" nor do they provide discharge instructions
pertaining to the rad part of the procedure.
I know this because I had a thyroid scan last year. I received no details
before I arrived at the hospital and I was not asked any questions at the
hospital. I asked the technician what the activity of the Tc-99m was right
before he injected me.(Boy was he surprised!). Yes, I asked him to please
check that the activity was correct.
Following the test,the supervisor brought the film in for me to view. It
turned in to a field trip.
I was a walking high rad area when I got home. If I were not a HP I would
never have known. Some might say that if we don't know we are better off
(stress etc.)I'm not buying that! I could have went home to a baby, been
pregnant or maybe I worked in a nursery/daycare and was going to work
afterwards.
I think a little extra effort from the nuc med staff is needed.
>> --On Monday, November 24, 2003 9:56 AM -0500 William V Lipton
>> <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM> wrote:
>>
>> > Maybe I'm missing something, here, but how expensive could it be to
>> > provide each patient with a sheet of instructions? I fail to
>> > understand how you consider providing patients with information on
>> > what you've done to them, "over the top."
>> >
>> > The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
>> > It's not about dose, it's about trust.
>> > Curies forever.
>> >
>> > Bill Lipton
>> > liptonw@dteenergy.com
>> >
>> > SiegelB@mir.wustl.edu wrote:
>> >
>> >> How much are you willing to pay per nuclear medicine procedure for the
>> >> added cost of providing this information to all patients? Since this
>> >> appears to be a very small problem indeed, the proposed solution
>> >> seems a bit over the top.
>> >>
>> >> Note that revised 10 CFR 35.75 actually was a rule that resulted in
>> >> substantial medical care cost savings, since formerly many of the
>> >> patients affected by this rule were hospitalized for 2-3 days to
>> >> protect members of the general public from a radiation hazard. The
>> >> cost of providing these patients with oral and written instructions
>> >> is offset by the costs saved, but this would not apply to the
>> >> millions of other patients who have nuclear medicine procedures each
>> >> year.
>> >>
>> >> Barry A. Siegel, MD
>> >> siegelb@mir.wustl.edu
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> William V Lipton
>> >> <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM To: Carol
>> >> Marcus <csmarcus@ucla.edu>
>> >> > cc:
>> >> > knwachter@juno.co
>> >> > m,
>> >> > radsafe@list.vand
>> >> > erb ilt.edu
>> >> Sent by: Subject: Re:
>> >> detecting medical isotopes at airport security
>> >> owner-radsafe@list.van
>> >> derbilt.edu
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> 11/24/03 06:29 AM
>> >> Please respond to
>> >> William V Lipton
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> 10 CFR 35.75 requires, "...instructions, including written
>> >> instructions, on actions recommended to maintain doses to other
>> >> individuals as low as is reasonably achievable if the total effective
>> >> dose equivalent to any other individual is likely to exceed 1 mSv
>> >> (0.1 rem)...."
>> >>
>> >> I propose that this be revised to: (1) delete the threshold so that
>> >> it applies
>> >> to all nuc med patients, and (2) add a requirement to include
>> >> information on
>> >> whether the patient is likely to alarm personnel radiation monitors.
>> >>
>> >> The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
>> >> It's not about dose, it's about trust.
>> >> Curies forever.
>> >>
>> >> Bill Lipton
>> >> liptonw@dteenergy.com
>> >>
>> >> Carol Marcus wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > At 12:46 PM 11/21/2003, knwachter@juno.com wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > > Does anyone know of incidents where residual medical isotopes in a
>> >> > > traveller's body set off radiation monitors at an airport? A
>> >> cardiologist
>> >> > > mentioned to me that he had heard of Tl-201 a day or two after a
>> >> > > cardiac scan tripping alarms at some airports. Just curious.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > knwachter@juno.com
>> >> >
>> >> > Dear Radsafers:
>> >> >
>> >> > ...
>> >>
>> >> > I really think that
>> >> > patients who receive radiopharmaceuticals should be given a card the
>> >> > size of a credit card to carry in their wallet for a few weeks, and
>> >> > that the card contains all the relevant information and a number to
>> >> > call to check. However, I guess that would now be a HIPAA
>> >> > violation!
>> >> >
>> >> > Ciao, Carol
>> >> >
>> >> > Carol S. Marcus, Ph.D., M.D.
>> >> > <csmarcus@ucla.edu>
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> *********************************************************************
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>> >
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>> >
>>
>> Celia Rajkovich, RRPT
>> Carnegie Mellon University
>> EH&S - Radiation Safety
>> Mellon Institute 313 Box 90
>> Pittsburgh Pa. 15213
>> Phone 268-7502 Fax 268-1736
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