Sonography Licensure Coalition and SDMS member, Frank Krause, (on the right) meets with Oregon Governor, Ted Kulongoski.

A coalition of sonography organizations has been formed to address the issue of state-based licensure for medical imaging providers, including sonography, in Oregon. Organizations participating in the ‘Sonography Licensure Coalition’ include the:

• American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)
• American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)
• Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI)
• Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS)
• Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU)
• Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS)
• Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP)

Frank Krause, BS, RDCS, FASE (cardiac sonography)
Claudia Rumwell, RN, RVT, FSVU (vascular sonography)
Brandy Sundberg, BS, RTR, RDMS (OB/GYN sonography)

The Sonography Licensure Coalition recently submitted a report to the Oregon Board of Radiologic Technology, the Oregon state agency currently coordinating the ”imaging bill process,“ summarizing the concerns and recommendations of the coalition member organizations. The following statement, taken from the report, summarizes the Coalition’s interest in this matter; “The sonographers represented by our respective organizations touch thousands of lives each day in Oregon, and these comments are offered with the goal of patient-centered public policy in mind.” A copy of the full report submitted in February may be accessed on the SDMS website at: http://www.sdms.org/pdf/Oregon_Licensure_Response_02142008b.pdf

Hemodynamics and the Colorado River
Rob Daigle, BA, RVT, FSVU

Understanding blood flow and hemodynamics is an essential part of vascular diagnosis. A surprising number of similarities exist between blood flow and river flow dynamics. While we can only surmise blood flow by indirect observation using color and spectral Doppler, we can directly observe flow patterns similar to those that occur in rivers. Rafters and kayakers are experts in interpreting river flow patterns and this presentation will demonstrate similar flow scenarios including, axial and non-axial “jet flow” through stenosis.

To view this presentation:

• SDMS Members (One Vascular Technology [VT] CME credit available - requires SDMS member login) http://www.sdms.org/members/3360/

In this session fundamental principles of diagnostic Doppler sonography will be reviewed and some aspects that may be more involved than generally realized will be encountered. A Q&A approach will be used to stimulate thought. Examples include: How does Doppler angle impact pulsality indice? What is critical angle? Why can Doppler be ignored in Doppler echocardiography? Where in blood flow does the Doppler effect occur? Why is power Doppler more sensitive? What are the sources of spectral broadening? Some surprising conclusions will be reached.

To view this presentation:

• SDMS Members (One Vascular Technology [VT] CME credit available - requires SDMS member login) http://www.sdms.org/members/3361/

To view the presentations, you will need a computer with speakers or headphones, Internet access, a web browser with Adobe Flash Player (and Adobe Reader to view the transcript) installed.

A tutorial on using the online presentation interface available at: http://www.sdms.org/seminar/tutorial/tutorial.htm

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is also available at: http://www.sdms.org/members/3354/3354faq.asp

3. SDMS Works with CMS to Update Obstetrical Codes

Last year, SDMS contacted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding their assignment of “personal supervision” (supervising physician must be in the room while the exam is performed) to the following five obstetrical ultrasound codes:

• 76801—Obstetrical ultrasound, less than 14 weeks, single fetus
• 76802—Obstetrical ultrasound, less than 14 weeks, additional fetus
• 76811—Obstetrical ultrasound, detailed, single fetus
• 76812—Obstetrical ultrasound, detailed, additional fetus
• 76817—Transvaginal obstetric ultrasound

SDMS Government Relations Committee visits Capital Hill

Many SDMS members have sent letters and called their congressional delegation over the past few weeks requesting support to move the CARE bill forward. These grassroots contacts are critical to our success in keeping the bill on the congressional ‘radar screen’ and the SDMS President, Shannon Boswell, BS, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, FSDMS, extends her personal appreciation to all SDMS members who have taken the time and made the effort to get involved in the Society’s advocacy efforts. When ‘Legislative Alerts’ or legislative ‘Call to Action’ notices are issued SDMS members are being asked to ‘add their voice’ to the deliberative process…it is important that YOU respond.

In early February, the SDMS Government Relations Committee (GRC), chaired by Sergio Khomyak, MBA, RDMS, RVT, descended upon Capitol Hill calling on more than 30 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their staffs requesting support for passage of the CARE bill. The GRC members delivered a simple message; the certification and education standards reflected within the CARE bill are good public policy and critical to providing quality patient care. The GRC was laying the groundwork for House action in anticipation of Senate passage of the bill.

“This was the first time for many of the 2008 GRC members to meet with members of Congress and it proved an exciting and educational experience for all of us. SDMS is fortunate to have so many volunteer members willing to take time away from home and work to travel to Washington D.C. and advocate on behalf of its 20,000 plus members,” reported Khomyak.

5. Deadline Extended - Sonographer Symptom Survey

In 1995, a survey was conducted in the US and Canada to determine the extent of musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) suffered by sonographers in the performance of their daily work. The incidence response was dramatic with 84% of practicing sonographers reporting an MSI at some point during their career. In the last twelve years people from hospitals, schools and industry have joined together to combat the MSI career-threatening problem. Much has been learned in the last 12 years but we still have a long way to go. Awareness of the problem is far greater today than it was in 1995; but what is not known is whether that awareness has translated to higher or lower incidence rates. We feel it's time to update the survey to reflect the current environment. Our goal is to establish the current incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in sonography.

Please help by participating in the ‘Sonographer Symptom Survey’ currently in progress. Your participation in the survey will help make our profession stronger and safer. If you haven’t done so already, please take a few moments to complete the survey.

SDMS has joined the ARDMS and Sound Ergonomics in a collaborative effort to acquire the data and share the results with the profession and the SDMS membership. Please visit http://www.soundergonomics.com and then click on the red “2008 USA Symptom Survey” line.

The survey deadline has been extended to Friday, March 14, 2008.

Please answer ALL the questions presented in this survey. Your input is vital to the health of our profession. We thank you for your participation.

6. SDMS Sonography Puzzles

SDMS Sonography Puzzles are a series of online crossword and word search puzzles that sonography educators can incorporate into their educational programs or can be used by students and sonographers just for fun. The puzzles are interactive and a fun way to learn sonography-related terminology.

A new puzzle will be added each month and announced in SDMS Sound News. The puzzles may feature a broad or specific topic theme (e.g., anatomy or kidney anatomy). The interactive puzzles can be completed online (using Adobe's free Flash player) or you can print the puzzle for later use.

This month's puzzle, titled "Placenta" was submitted by Judy K. Billings of Grady Health System School of DMS.

The News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. The articles do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the SDMS. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org.