[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 123 (Monday, October 4, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S10361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NUCLEAR MEDICINE WEEK

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise today to remind my colleagues that 
this week, October 3 through October 9, is Nuclear Medicine Week. 
Nuclear Medicine Week is the first week in October every year and is an 
annual celebration initiated by the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Each 
year, Nuclear Medicine Week is celebrated internationally at hospitals, 
clinics, imaging centers, educational institutions, corporations, and 
more.
  I am particularly proud to note that Dr. Henry Royal, a physician 
practicing nuclear medicine at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology 
in St. Louis, is a constituent and immediate-past president of the 
Society of Nuclear Medicine. The Society of Nuclear Medicine is an 
international scientific and professional organization of more than 
15,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology and 
practical applications of nuclear medicine. I commend him and his 
colleagues for their outstanding work in the field of nuclear medicine 
and for their dedication to caring for people with cancer and other 
serious and life-threatening illnesses that can be diagnosed, managed, 
and treated with medical isotopes via nuclear medicine procedures.
  With nuclear medicine, health care providers can use a safe, 
noninvasive procedure to gather information about a patient's condition 
that might otherwise be unavailable or have to be obtained through 
surgery or more expensive diagnostic tests. Nuclear medicine procedures 
often identify abnormalities very early in the progression of a 
disease--long before some medical problems are apparent with other 
diagnostic tests. This early detection allows a disease to be treated 
early in its course, when there may be a more successful prognosis.
  An estimated 16 million nuclear medicine imaging and therapeutic 
procedures are performed each year in the United States. Of these, 40 
to 50 percent are cardiac exams and 35 to 40 percent are oncology 
related. Nuclear medicine procedures are among the safest diagnostic 
imaging tests available. The amount of radiation from a nuclear 
medicine procedure is comparable to that received during a diagnostic 
x-ray.
  Nuclear medicine tests, also known as scans, examinations, or 
procedures, are safe and painless. In a nuclear medicine test, small 
amounts of medical isotopes are introduced into the body by injection, 
swallowing, or inhalation. A special camera, PET or gamma camera, is 
then used to take pictures of your body. The camera does this by 
detecting the medical isotope in the target organ, bone or tissue and 
thus forming images that provide data and information about that area 
of your body. This is how nuclear medicine differs from an x-ray, 
ultrasound or other diagnostic test--it determines the presence of 
disease based on function rather than anatomy.
  Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' announced its 
decision to approve coverage of positron emission tomography or PET for 
Medicare beneficiaries who have suspected Alzheimer's disease. This 
decision will allow physicians to obtain an early and more definitive 
diagnosis and to begin treatment at the time when it provides the best 
chance of prolonging cognitive function for our Medicare beneficiaries. 
Some of the more frequently performed nuclear medicine procedures 
include: bone scans to examine orthopedic injuries, fractures, tumors 
or unexplained bone pain; heart scans to identify normal or abnormal 
blood flow to the heart muscle, measure heart function or determine the 
existence or extent of damage to the heart muscle after a heart attack; 
breast scans that are used in conjunction with mammograms to more 
accurately detect and locate cancerous tissue in the breasts; liver and 
gallbladder scans to evaluate liver and gallbladder function; cancer 
imaging to detect tumors and determine the severity--staging--of 
various types of cancer; treatment of thyroid diseases and certain 
types of cancer; brain imaging to investigate problems within the brain 
itself or in blood circulation to the brain; renal imaging in children 
to examine kidney function.
  Unfortunately, the field of nuclear medicine is not attracting enough 
incoming students to fill the current demand for nuclear medicine 
technologists--usually called NMTs. Currently, there is approximately 
an 18-percent vacancy of NMTs as determined by the American Hospital 
Association, AHA. By 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, 
projects that the U.S. will need an additional 8,000 NMTs to fill the 
projected demand created by the aging workforce and expanding senior 
population. Over the next 20 years, the BLS expects that there will be 
a 140-percent increase in the demand for imaging services. The use of 
diagnostic imaging services has been increasing by approximately four 
percent a year, even as the number of certified NMTs and registered 
radiologic technologists has remained stable. As a result, imaging 
technologists often work longer shifts, and patients can face weeks of 
delay for routine exams.
  A similar situation is developing for nuclear medicine physicians. 
According to the American Board of Medical Specialties, there currently 
are 4,087 certified nuclear medicine physicians in the United States. 
At the same time, the number of physician training programs is also 
declining, exacerbating the future shortage.
  Over the next 20 years, the number of people over the age of 65 is 
expected to double at the exact same time when the nation will face 
shortages of medical personnel--including nurses, NMTs, physicians, 
laboratory personnel, and other specialists. With an increasing number 
of people needing specialized care--such as nuclear medicine--coupled 
with an inadequate workforce, our Nation quickly could face a 
healthcare crisis of serious proportions with limited access to quality 
cancer care, particularly in traditionally underserved areas.
  I encourage my colleagues to support Nuclear Medicine Week, to 
support policies such as the newly released CMS decision, and to 
support increased funding for programs so that our Nation will have a 
sufficient supply of nuclear medicine physicians and technologists to 
care for all patients in need of nuclear medicine procedures and 
related care.

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