1. SDMS Election Results
2. Time Is Running Out!! Act NOW!
3. 'Spread The Word' About Your Profession
4. Non-Diagnostic Use of Ultrasound
5. Institutional Pricing for MSI Educational Program
6. Online Scoring Now Available for NCER
7. New JDMS CME Tests Available
8. CMS Proposed 2003 Reimbursement Fee Schedule
9. AHA Study on Worker Shortage
10. News & Notes
11. Important Dates

SDMS would like to thank every member who voted in this election and those members who ran for office. Below are the results as tabulated by Glass & Company (an independent accounting firm). Those elected to serve in each office are indicated in bold with a check mark beside their name.

SDMS REGION 3 Regina Swearengin 126   Sondi Troy 110   Write-in 1 SDMS REGION 4   Jeff Bradley 90 Lynne Schreiber 184   Write-in 1

FINANCE COMMITTEE   Pamela Butler 428 Mark Caviston 685 Pam Crawford 673 Carol Martin 805   Donna Young 433   Write-in 20

Only 9 Days Left!!

The countdown to the Annual Conference Early Bird Registration Deadline has begun. Your conference registration form with payment must be postmarked on or before August 9, 2002 to get the deep "early bird" discounts!

Go to: http://www.sdms.org/meetings for complete program details and hotel reservation information.

Register online at: http://www.sdms.org/meetings/register.asp

Don't miss this chance to save big money!

In an effort to 'spread the word' about Sonography Awareness Month, SDMS has prepared a Sonography Awareness Month Promotion Guide. Last month this guide was sent to SDMS Regional Directors, SDMS State Representatives, educational program directors, and local ultrasound society program directors. This guide is filled with ideas for promoting Sonography Awareness Month and educating the public on your role in the delivery of healthcare. If you would like to download a copy to help you 'spread the word' about your profession, go to:

Another way to help 'spread the word' is by purchasing Sonography Awareness Month products. This year's logo, "Sonographers - Yes, we SCAN!", appears on a complete line of promotional products including posters, balloons, mugs, stickers, buttons, and T-shirts. This year, we've included a new item in our Sonography Awareness Month promotional product line, Mints - these buttermints are a delicious way to celebrate Sonography Awareness Month. Remember, Sonography Awareness Month is held every October to create awareness of the role sonographers play in the medical community and to recognize their contributions to healthcare. For more information on products and to order online, visit:

There has been a recent proliferation of businesses who are performing ultrasound imaging of fetuses to make "keepsake" pictures and videos. In some cases, the ultrasound equipment is reportedly used for as long as an hour to obtain a video of the fetus.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) position on this activity is quite clear:

"Persons who promote, sell or lease ultrasound equipment for making "keepsake" fetal videos should know that FDA views this as an unapproved use of a medical device, and that we are prepared to take regulatory action against those who engage in such misuse of medical equipment."

Businesses that use ultrasound equipment for non-medical purposes should be reported, IN WRITING, to the FDA :

Diagnostic Devices Branch
Office of Compliance
Center for Devices and Radiological Health
HFZ-322
2098 Gaither Rd
Rockville MD 20850

Additional information is available at:

• SDMS Position Statement
     http://www.sdms.org/positions/videoob.asp
• AIUM Official Statement
     http://www.aium.org/consumer/statement_selected.asp?statement=2
• FDA Statement on Use of Non-Diagnostic Ultrasound
     http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/fetalvideos.html

Educational intitutions and healthcare facilities (hospitals, out-patient clinics, etc) can now purchase the MSI education program at a special institutional price:

If you are scanning in pain from MSI or if you want to know how to prevent this often career-ending injury from happening to you, then this interactive educational program is for you. Complete a personal risk-factor inventory, practice preventive exercises, and if desired, complete the post-test for 4 SDMS CME credits. If you are an educator, make this program part of the curriculum...your 'pain-free' students will thank you for years to come.

Understanding and Preventing Musculoskeletal Injury (MSI) in Sonography is still available for individual purchase:

For more information, visit:

FREE online scoring of all the National Certification Examination Reviews (NCERs) is now available in the MEMBERS ONLY area of the SDMS website. The link is titled "Score CME Tests" in the menu on the left side of the screen.

Each NCER module is accompanied by a score sheet that contains a unique, 10-digit serial number. Members who have purchased an NCER module may complete the corresponding test online by entering this serial number to gain access to the test. To receive CME credit, the entire test must be successfully completed (70%). Each purchaser is allowed one opportunity to pass the test since this is an open book test.

Purchasers who submit the score sheet to the SDMS for manual processing must submit a processing fee along with the score sheet. These fees are: $10 for SDMS members; $25 for non-members. Tests submitted without a processing fee will be returned to the purchaser.

For more information, visit:

Members can earn FREE CME credit online by studying two articles in the July/August, 2002 issue Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS). The CME post-tests are available online for SDMS members only.

The new CME articles include:

• Familial Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Screening With Endoscopic Ultrasound by Peggy Dunn, BS, RT(R), Kim Michael, BS, RT, RDMS, RVT, Sherri Stevens, BS, RT, RDMS, RVT
• Alternative Echocardiographic Methods to Assess Left Ventricular Diastolic Function by Alan D. Waggoner, MHS, RDCS

For more information, visit:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a proposed rule that will update physician payment rates under the Medicare physician Fee Schedule for 2003, as well as revise a number of other policies affecting Medicare Part B payment for physicians and other providers. In 2003, Medicare is expected to pay approximately $42.6 billion to approximately 332,500 physicians and other providers for services performed under the physician fee schedule.

For more information, visit:

A spreadsheet comparing 2002 and proposed 2003 rates for ultrasound-related codes is available at:

  http://www.sdms.org/members/resources/2003ProposedUltrasound.xls^*

A recent study commissioned by the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems concluded that the shortage of healthcare workers is a significant problem within the U.S. healthcare system. "Imaging technicians" had the highest vacancy rate - 15.3%, followed by registered nurses with a vacancy rate of 13.0%. Study conclusions included:

• high vacancy rates are seen across urban/rural settings and regions of the country
• the situation is getting worse
• more than half of the hospitals reporting indicate that the recruitment of nurses, imaging technicians, and pharmacists has become more difficult since 1999
• hospitals are striving to fill these positions and costs are increasing
• hospitals are feeling the effects of a workforce shortage

This survey included 5,980 hospitals nationwide and generated a 18% response rate.

The News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org

• NCO Helps Create New Ultrasound Technology
  http://www.aetc.randolph.af.mil/pa/AETCNS/Jul2002/02-190.htm



• Professionals in Their own Right
  http://www.advanceforioa.com/arfeature3.html



• University of North Carolina Ultrasound Teaching Files
  http://www.ibiblio.org/jksmith/UNC-Radiology-Webserver/Ultrasound.html



• AMA data show decline, consolidation in some fields, growth in others
  http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8228.html#3



• Polybiography of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
  http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/05/dubose.php



• New York Times takes mammographers to task
  http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=wom&Pag=dis&ItemId=55664



• Jefferson Trial Looks to Improve Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
  http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/news/e3front.dll?durki=14009



• A Lens that Goes Straight to the Heart
  http://www.newswise.com/articles/2002/4/LENS.MTU.html



• Senate Committee Votes for Ergonomics Regulations
  http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=547



• Tiny Ultrasound Device Could Prevent Arteries From Reblocking After Bypass
  http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=3529



• Hair-sized Lens Helps Look in Blood Vessels
  http://www.iop.org/Physics/News/0393j



• Ultrasound Test Can ID Heart Condition Early
  http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/06/03/
  eline/links/20020603elin022.html