HLT-40-12-00001-P Quality Assurance Requirements for Medical Use of Radioactive Materials and Radiation Therapy

10/3/12 N.Y. St. Reg. HLT-40-12-00001-P

NEW YORK STATE REGISTER

VOLUME XXXIV, ISSUE 40

October 03, 2012

RULE MAKING ACTIVITIES

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

PROPOSED RULE MAKING

NO HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

 

I.D No. HLT-40-12-00001-P

Quality Assurance Requirements for Medical Use of Radioactive Materials and Radiation Therapy

PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following proposed rule:

Proposed Action:

Amendment of Part 16 of Title 10 NYCRR.

Statutory authority:

Public Health Law, section 225

Subject:

Quality Assurance Requirements for Medical Use of Radioactive Materials and Radiation Therapy.

Purpose:

To update quality assurance requirements for medical use of radioactive materials and radiation therapy equipment.

Substance of proposed rule (Full text is posted at the following State website: www.health.state.ny.us):

The regulatory proposal would revise Part 16 of 10 NYCRR as described in more detail below.

Subdivision (c) of section 16.1 is revised to update the address and phone number of the Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection and to allow certain reports to be filed electronically with the Department.

Paragraph (15) of subdivision (a) of section 16.2 is amended to make the definition of "byproduct material" comparable to the definition of byproduct material in NRC regulations.

Paragraph (134) of subdivision (a) of section 16.2, which contains an outdated definition of the term "tutelage," is repealed.

Subdivision (a) of section 16.24 is repealed and replaced with a new subdivision (a), which includes updated quality assurance standards for licensees or registrants authorized to administer external beam therapy or brachytherapy to human beings. The new subdivision includes quality standards appropriate for newer, more complex radiation therapy treatment systems and also requires additional verification of radiation set-up equipment and treatment plans prior to administering radiation treatments to patients. New subdivision (a) also requires quality assurance programs to cover data communication/transfer between component systems of planning and treatment delivery systems to ensure complete (uncorrupted) data transfer. Additionally, the new section requires licensees and registrants to credential individuals involved in quality assurance testing, treatment planning, and radiation treatment of patients. Finally, new subdivision (a) requires licensees and registrants to be accredited in radiation oncology by the American College of Radiology or the American College of Radiation Oncology, or another equivalent accrediting organization, within 18 months of the effective date of the regulation.

Section 16.100 is repealed and replaced with a new section 16.100 to update the licensing requirements for licensure of radioactive materials.

Sections 16.120 and 16.121 are repealed and replaced with a new section 16.120 which sets forth the licensing requirements for human use of radioactive material.

Section 16.122 is repealed. The requirements for teletherapy units are included in the proposed new section 16.123.

Current section 16.123 is repealed and replaced with a new section 16.123. The new version updates the standards for the medical use of radioactive materials, consistent with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations governing the medical use of radioactive materials; updates definitions to be consistent with federal regulatory definitions; updates the training and experience requirements for physicians, pharmacists and medical physicists who use radioactive materials for medical purposes; and revises and creates new categories of medical use licenses. The new section 16.123 incorporates certain federal regulatory requirements by reference; it also establishes regulatory requirements specific to New York State that are consistent with the federal regulatory requirements.

The proposed section 16.2 will have a significant impact on physicians who wish to use radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic nuclear medicine and nuclear cardiology. The current section requires 200 hours of classroom training. By removing this requirement and incorporating the federal classroom training requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 35, the required classroom and laboratory training hours will be reduced to 80 hours for physicians applying for authorized user status for diagnostic uses. In addition, these physicians would be allowed to obtain the practical training component in a private medical practice setting. Currently such training can be obtained only at a medical institution (hospital). By incorporating the training requirements established in 10 CFR Part 35, the total number of training hours for physicians who use radioactive materials will remain at 700 hours.

Relative to the new categories of medical use licenses, the new section 16.123 includes a category that covers gamma knife radiosurgery units and high dose rate remote afterloaders. Quality assurance requirements are modified to reflect the revised and new categories. The dose limits for members of the public and occupationally exposed individuals are modified to exclude exposure from individuals administered radioactive material and released in accordance with regulations.

Text of proposed rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained from:

Katherine Ceroalo, DOH, Bureau of House Counsel, Reg. Affairs Unit, Room 2438, ESP Tower Building, Albany, NY 12237, [phone], email: [e-mail]

Data, views or arguments may be submitted to:

Same as above.

Public comment will be received until:

45 days after publication of this notice.

Regulatory Impact Statement

Statutory Authority:

The Public Health and Health Planning Council is authorized by § 225(4) of the Public Health Law (PHL) to establish, amend and repeal provisions of the State Sanitary Code (SSC), subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Health. PHL §§ 225(5)(p) and (q) and 201(1)(r) authorize the Commissioner to promulgate SSC regulations to protect the public from the adverse effects of ionizing radiation. Pursuant to these regulations, as set forth in 10 NYCRR Part 16, the Department of Health (Department), licenses or registers health care providers to use radioactive materials and ionizing radiation emitting equipment on patients.

The federal Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (the Act), codified at 42 USC §§ 2021, et. seq. authorizes the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to regulate the use of radioactive materials. The Act also authorizes "Agreement States" to regulate the use of radioactive materials in lieu of the NRC, provided that the "Agreement State" promulgates regulations that are comparable to or exceed NRC's regulatory standards. New York State is an "Agreement State" within the meaning of the Act. New York's regulatory standards for the use of radioactive materials in 10 NYCRR Part 16 must therefore meet or exceed comparable NRC regulatory standards. The Act governs only to the use of radioactive materials; it does not apply to x-rays or radiation therapy equipment that emit only x-rays.

Legislative Objectives:

The legislative intent of PHL §§ 225(5) and 201(1)(p) and (q) is to protect the public from the adverse effects of ionizing radiation. Promulgating regulations to ensure safe and effective clinical uses of radioactive material and radiation producing equipment is consistent with this legislative objective.

Needs and Benefits:

The NRC has relinquished its authority to regulate the use of radioactive materials in New York State to the Department. The Act requires New York to adopt and enforce regulatory standards for the use of radioactive materials that are comparable to or exceed federal regulatory standards that apply to the use of radioactive materials. The Department regulates the use of radioactive material at approximately 1100 facilities, including approximately 450 health care facilities. The Department’s regulations are designed to require the delivery of quality care while protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation. In order to ensure that New York retains its authority under federal law to regulate the use of radioactive material, the Department’s regulations must be amended to conform more closely to current federal regulatory standards. The proposed regulations incorporate by reference many of the NRC regulatory standards that govern the medical use of radioactive materials. In areas where the NRC regulations are not incorporated, the Department has promulgated comparable regulations.

In recent years, technology and equipment used to deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients, including systems used to plan and execute radiation therapy treatment, have become significantly more complex. Recently developed radiation therapy systems more effectively deliver high dose rate treatments to precisely defined three-dimensional tumor volumes while sparing dose to healthy tissue. Patients benefit significantly when, as is the case in the vast majority of such radiation treatments, the dose is delivered as intended. However, radiation treatment errors can cause serious consequences for patients and in extreme cases, death. An analysis of the causes of medical adverse events (radiation therapy misadministrations) reported to the Department within the past eight years has identified common errors and causes of errors that may be preventable with the implementation of more comprehensive quality assurance programs. When the current regulations for quality assurance for external beam and brachytherapy were implemented in 1993, radiation therapy equipment was much simpler in design and function, and there were fewer units in service. Most radiation therapy treatments were delivered in a hospital setting. Today there are greater numbers of patients receiving radiation therapy, and more patients are treated in freestanding radiation therapy centers. There are more medical therapy accelerators in use. Newer radiation treatment systems are very complex; these systems rely on computer networks and electronic data storage and movement. DOH regulates approximately 120 medical facilities that provide radiation therapy. The current regulations need to be revised to effectively address quality assurance requirements for newer systems, to ensure implementation of strategies to prevent the occurrence of misadministrations and ensure those facilities meet current standards of care.

Costs:

The Department estimates that regulated parties that use radioactive materials will not incur any additional costs in order to comply with the proposed changes to 10 NYCRR § 16.123. In most instances, the proposed regulatory amendments will reduce costs and regulatory burdens for physicians who are required to qualify as "authorized users" of radioactive materials for diagnostic purposes. The current section requires 200 hours of classroom training. By removing this requirement and incorporating the federal classroom training requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 35, the required classroom and laboratory training hours will be reduced to 80 hours for physicians applying for authorized user status for diagnostic uses. In addition, these physicians would be allowed to obtain the practical training component in a private medical practice setting. Currently such training can be obtained only at a medical institution (hospital). By incorporating the training requirements established in 10 CFR Part 35, the total number of training hours for physicians who use radioactive materials will remain at 700 hours.

This will result in lower costs for classroom training (tuition/course fee) and associated travel/lodging expenses, and will reduce the time a physician would be away from his/her clinical practice to obtain the required classroom training. The current regulations specify that such training must be obtained at a medical institution, or hospital. However, under the training requirements established in 10 CRF Part 35, which will be incorporated by the new regulation, physicians will have the option to obtain the required work experience portion of the training (620 hours) at non-institutional facilities. Costs associated with complying with the quality assurance testing for therapeutic devices, including high-dose rate brachytherapy and teletherapy should not increase or change, because the current license conditions contain these same quality assurance requirements.

The Department estimates that the cost to regulated parties that use external beam therapy or manual brachytherapy to comply with proposed 10 NYCRR § 16.24 will be limited to the fee to become accredited in radiation oncology by either the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) or an equivalent organization as approved by the Department. The cost for accreditation is approximately $9,500 for each three-year period. However, approximately half of the affected regulated parties are either currently accredited or have an application pending with ACR or ACRO on their own accord. Many that are not accredited use the services of outside radiation oncologists and medical physicists to audit their radiation therapy quality assurance program on an annual basis. The costs for annual outside audits are estimated to cost several thousands of dollars. The proposed regulation would remove the need for outside audits, although they could be conducted to meet the requirement for an annual audit. Under the proposed rule, either an internal or an external audit may be used to fulfill the annual audit requirement. Costs saved by elimination of the requirement for outside audits are expected to offset a portion of the costs that will be incurred for accreditation. The other proposed changes to 10 NYCRR § 16.24 will impose very little or no cost to regulated parties since existing facility staff can comply with the new quality assurance requirements.

Local Government Mandates:

These proposed regulations apply to two State University hospitals, a Department operated hospital and hospitals operated by public benefit corporations. These hospitals are currently accredited by the ACR. No other additional costs are associated with implementation of these requirements. Registrants and licensees, including the hospitals operated by state and local governments, are currently required to retain all quality assurance documents for review by the department. The additional records and filing is estimated to be a small incremental amount. Affected parties will need to complete an application for accreditation initially and every three years thereafter. The radiation oncology accrediting bodies are transitioning to an on-line application process to minimize time and effort for parties seeking accreditation.

Paperwork:

Department regulations (10 NYCRR Part 16) require registrants and licensees to maintain a variety of records relating to the use of ionizing radiation for review by the Department. The Department estimates that licensees and registrants may have a small amount of additional documentation to create, maintain or file. Affected parties will have to complete an application for radiation oncology accreditation. However, the accrediting bodies are transitioning to an online application process to minimize time and effort for regulated parties seeking accreditation.

The proposed regulations will not affect license documents issued by the Department to current licensees, registrants or authorized users. The Department plans to provide updated license guidance to new applicants to facilitate completion of an application based on the new requirements.

Duplication:

There is no duplication of the proposed regulatory requirements by any federal, state or local agency for licensees, registrants or authorized users subject to 10 NYCRR Part 16. New York State entered into an agreement with the federal government on October 15, 1962, by which the federal government discontinued its regulatory authority over the use of radioactive materials and New York assumed such authority. The Atomic Energy Act does not govern use of x-ray emitting equipment.

Alternatives:

There are no suitable alternatives to the revisions to these proposed regulations. As discussed above, the Atomic Energy Act (42 USC § 2021 et. seq.) requires Agreement States such as New York to adopt and implement regulatory standards that meet or exceed comparable federal standards.

Federal Standards:

These proposed revisions to 10 NYCRR § 16.123 incorporate by reference certain federal requirements specified in 10 CFR Part 35.

Compliance Schedule:

The proposed regulatory amendments will be effective upon publication of a Notice of Adoption in the State Register. However, proposed 10 NYCRR § 16.24(a)(6) requires that licensees and registrants apply for accreditation in radiation oncology with the American College of Radiology or the American College of Radiation Oncology or another accrediting organization approved by the Department within 90 days of the regulation’s effective date and to become accredited and maintain such accreditation within 18 months of such effective date.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

Effect on Small Business:

The Department has issued radioactive materials licenses to approximately 350 private medical practices. These licensees would be affected by the proposed revisions to 10 NYCRR § 16.123. The Department estimates that there will be no new costs for these licensees and in some instances, regulated parties may save money by complying with the updated standards in proposed 10 NCRR § 16.123. The Department expects the cost to comply with the new training and experience requirements for physicians who wish to become authorized for certain medical uses will be reduced in most situations. Specifically the required classroom and laboratory training hours will be reduced from 200 to 80 hours for physicians applying for authorized user status for diagnostic uses. The total number or training hours will remain at 700 hours. This will result in lower costs for classroom training (tuition/course fee) and associated travel/lodging expenses, and will reduce the time a physician would be away from his/her clinical practice to obtain the required classroom training. Physicians will have the option to obtain the required work experience portion of the training (620 hours) at non-institutional facilities. The current requirements specify that such training must be obtained at a medical institution (hospital).

The proposed changes to 10 NYCRR § 16.24 would apply to approximately 60 medical private practices. The draft proposed rule was sent to all medical therapy accelerator facilities, including the small businesses (non-institutions) for comments. One facility manager stated that they support the accreditation requirement although it can be a hardship to practices like hers. However the manager’s facility was already accredited and has application pending to maintain accreditation. No other facility expressed any anticipated hardship with the proposed rule.

Compliance Requirements:

Licensees and applicants will need to become familiar with the new requirements and modify their quality assurance policies and procedures accordingly. Those who are not currently accredited will need to do so within 18 months of the effective date of the rule.

Professional Services:

The vast majority of facilities have in-house staff that perform quality assurance testing and operate radiation emitting technology. The Department does not expect that it would be necessary for licensees to use additional professional services for completion of applications for accreditation or to implement the quality assurance requirements.

Capital Costs and Annual Costs of Compliance:

The amortized annual cost is estimated to be approximately $3,200 per year for accreditation (based on a three-year accreditation cost of $9,500). However, approximately 50 percent of the facilities are either currently accredited or have an application for accreditation pending; therefore, they will not incur any additional costs. There are no capital costs associated with this regulation.

Economic and Technological Feasibility:

There are no capital costs or new technology required to comply with the proposed rule.

Minimizing Adverse Impact:

Facilities will have 90 days to apply and 18 months to become accredited. This will allow a facility adequate time to select the accreditation body of their choice, complete an application and budget funds for the accreditation fee. The Department has held several discussions with the proposed accrediting bodies, and has accompanied their auditors during accreditation surveys. These interactions were conducted to ensure that the bodies have the capacity to handle an influx of applications for accreditation and that the organizations operate in a professional and constructive manner, have an efficient process, and have an overall effect of improving patient safety. Further the requirement for external annual audits was eliminated which would offset the cost of accreditation.

Small Business Input:

A copy of the draft proposed rule was sent to all medical therapy accelerator facilities, which includes both private practices and hospital-based radiation therapy treatment clinics. Seven facilities submitted comments. Only one commenter addressed the cost for accreditation, however, she stated that she supports the accreditation requirement. Several comments were in regard to clarification on a few aspects of the proposed language. Guidance, which will assist the affected facilities in implementation and compliance with the new requirements, will be developed and provided to affected facilities.

Rural Area Flexibility Analysis

Types and Estimated Numbers of Rural Areas:

There are 105 affected facilities located in 46 rural areas (33 counties with a population of less than 200,000 and 13 counties with certain townships with a population density of more than 150 persons per square mile).

Reporting, Recordkeeping and Other Compliance Requirements and Professional Services:

There are no new reporting requirements contained in the proposed regulations. No additional professional service costs are anticipated. Facilities will be required to maintain records of quality assurance test results and accreditation documents for review by the Department’s inspectors. Compliance with the recordkeeping requirements will require only a minor incremental amount of time and effort for affected facilities.

Cost:

The cost to comply with the accreditation requirement will be approximately $9,500 every three years. This will affect approximately 50 percent of the facilities that will be subject to the proposed 10 NYCRR § 16.24(e), because approximately 50 percent of the facilities are either currently accredited or have an application for accreditation pending. Facilities that are currently accredited or have an application pending have done so in part to satisfy the current audit requirements in section 16.24. Such facilities have selected the option to conduct annual internal audits (by in-house staff) and have periodic audits performed by the ACR or ACRO. Such facilities will not effectively see an increase in their operating budgets to comply with the new accreditation requirement as they have already chosen to become accredited and have budgeted for the associated cost.

Minimizing Adverse Impact:

Facilities will have 18 months to become accredited. This will allow a facility adequate time to select the accreditation body of their choice, complete an application and budget funds for the accreditation fee. The Department has held several discussions with the proposed accrediting bodies, and has accompanied their auditors during accreditation surveys. These interactions were conducted to ensure that the bodies have the capacity to handle an influx of applications for accreditation and that the organizations operate in a professional and constructive manner, have an efficient process, and have an overall effect of improving patient safety.

Rural Area Participation:

A copy of a draft proposed rule was sent to all medical therapy accelerator facilities, which includes both private practices and hospital-based radiation therapy treatment clinics. Seven facilities commented. One commenter addressed the cost for accreditation but indicated they understood the value of accreditation. A few commenters requested minor clarification on a few aspects of the proposed language.

Job Impact Statement

Nature of Impact:

It is anticipated that no jobs will be adversely affected by this rule. Radiation therapy providers in New York will need to become familiar with and implement the new regulatory requirements set forth in proposed 10 NYCRR § 16.24. The proposed regulations do not significantly change the training or experience requirements of radiation therapy facility staff. Medical providers authorized to use radioactive materials would need to become familiar with and implement the new regulatory requirements set forth in proposed 10 NYCRR § 16.123. The Department anticipates that few if any persons will be adversely affected. Licensee staff, specifically those designated as the radiation safety officer, medical physicist, nuclear pharmacist, and authorized user will need to become familiar with the new requirements.

Categories and Numbers Affected:

There are approximately 120 radiation therapy facilities that would be subject to the rule. Half of these are hospitals or their satellite facilities, and the other half are non-institutional entities. There are approximately 450 medical use of radioactive materials licensees.

Regions of Adverse Impact:

No areas will be adversely affected.

Minimizing Adverse Impact:

There are no alternatives to the proposed regulations. The Department will revise guidance to assist all licensees, including those in rural areas, with implementation of the proposed regulations.

Self-Employment Opportunities:

The rule is expected to have minimal impact on self-employment opportunities since the majority of providers that will be affected by the rule are not sole proprietorships.