1. SDMS Election 2007 Winners
2. Early Registration Deadline Approaching!
3. SDMS Again Calls on Members to Help Support CARE Bill
4. Government Accounting Office Supports Sonographer Credentialing Standard
5. 2007 Salary and Benefit Surveys
6. JDMS Rewards Program
7. Call for Nominations for ARDMS Exam Development Task Force Elections
8. News & Notes
9. Important Dates

2. Early Registration Deadline Approaching!

Time is running out! Save $100 or more by registering for the 2007 SDMS Annual Conference by August 10th. And if you register online by August 10th, you will be entered in a drawing for a FREE three-day registration for the 2008 SDMS Annual Conference!

The first call to the SDMS membership for CARE bill support went out in the June issue of Sound News. We sincerely appreciate the response from those members who took the time to send their support letters. Again, we are asking SDMS members, who have not yet responded to this request, to go to the online address listed below, review the background information, and SEND YOUR LETTER TO YOUR STATE’S TWO SENATORS.

The CARE bill would establish credentialing and education quality control standards for sonographers. The SDMS is a member of the ‘Alliance’, a coalition of twenty-two organizations actively supporting the passage of the CARE bill. The SDMS leadership feels strongly that the passage of the CARE bill is critical to the future of the profession.

We are asking our members across the country to make their voices heard in support of the CARE bill. Specifically, we are focusing our current efforts on the SENATE side and are asking that our members concentrate their efforts on preparation of letters to their state’s senators.

Please note that we are asking our members to send us copies of the letters that have been sent; this helps us track who has been contacted and what messages have been delivered. Copies of your CARE bill letter/s should be forwarded as an attachment to email to: Connie Ponder (cponder@sdms.org).

Please take the time to help support this effort, and the future of your profession.

The Government Accounting Office (GAO), a non-partisan government agency whose primary responsibility is to insure that federal monies are spent in an effective and efficient manner, has now gone ‘on record’ supporting sonographer credentialing as part of a quality control effort and has specifically recommended that CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) adopt such a policy. The GAO is the largest investigatory body in the U.S. government and has reputation for aggressive and comprehensive work. GAO statements released to Congress in a report on June 28 include:

"CMS should require sonographers providing Medicare –covered ultrasound exams to either be credentialed or work in an accredited facility…factors for CMS to consider in determining whether to establish credentialing or other qualification requirements for sonographers include the evidence of the value of setting such requirements and variation in federal requirements for sonographers. The skill of the sonographer conducting an ultrasound is critical for its use to support a physician’s correct diagnosis; poorly captured images can lead to misdiagnoses or unnecessarily repeated exams. Findings from several peer-reviewed studies, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and ultrasound-related professional organizations support requiring that sonographers either have credentials or operate in facilities that are accredited…Medicare’s inconsistent requirements undermine assurance that beneficiaries are receiving high-quality services across the country."

Approximately nine months before the GAO study was released to Congress, SDMS was contacted, along with several other ultrasound-related organizations, and asked to provide content experts to participate in an interview process with GAO staff. The report summary, as well as the full text of the report is available at:

The SDMS is pleased to announce the availability of two sonography salary and benefit surveys. Help us collect this important information about salaries and benefits in the sonography community. SDMS members must complete the survey before 5:00 pm on August 31, 2007 to be eligible for a random drawing.

Prizes in the random drawing include:

• 1st Prize: 2007 SDMS Annual Conference registration (value: $350)
• 2nd Prize: Free SDMS Membership renewal (value: $119)
• 3rd Prize: Gift certificate good for SDMS products (value: $50)

Have you considered writing an article for the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS)? Do you have a unique case study that you would like to share with your colleagues?

If you’ve answered "yes", now is the time to do it! Sharing information with your colleagues supports the continued growth of the profession and the professional development of its practitioners. The SDMS-developed "JDMS Rewards" program works this way:

Publication	Reward
JDMS publication of one original research article	100% SDMS membership dues discount
JDMS publication of two original case studies in a one-year period	100% SDMS membership dues discount
JDMS publication of one original case study	50% SDMS membership dues discount

• Only the manuscript’s primary author is eligible to receive JDMS Rewards benefit

• The primary author may transfer the reward to another author on the manuscript

The ARDMS has many programs that involve the sonography community, such as obtaining highly-qualified individuals to serve as subject matter experts (SME's) on Exam Development Task Forces (EDTF's) for the development and oversight of specific ARDMS examinations. The ARDMS wishes to obtain nominations from the SDMS membership for the following Exam Development Task Forces.

• Breast (BR): Physicians with knowledge in breast anatomy, physiology and sonographic findings associated with breast pathology. Preferred would be a dedicated breast imaging specialist.
• Fetal Echo (FE): Sonographer with either RDMS or RDCS credential who is registered in fetal echo.
• Pediatric Echocardiography (PE): Sonographer with RDCS credential who is registered in PE.
• Obstetrics (OB): Physician, either in OB/GYN or Perinatologist with sonography experience.
• Physicians Vascular Interpretation (PVI): Vascular Medicine/Cardiology physician with sonography interpretation experience.

The terms of this election would be from February 2008 - September 2011.

For additional information, qualifications, and nomination forms, please contact Brenda Johnson at: Brenda.Johnson@ardms.org

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.