Our profession is filled with many acronyms: TJC, NRC, CMS, CNMT, and now TAG. Each of these means something very specific. One may be a regulatory agency, another a classification, and yet another is a title dedicated to the Nuclear Medicine Technologist (NMT). TAG stands for Technologist Advocacy Group. But what does it mean to be a TAG and what does a TAG do? Let’s take a look.
The Technologist Advocacy Group (TAG) consists of dedicated NMT members, at least one in each state, who is involved at their local level. Their primary responsibility is to be aware and identify any changes in their state laws/regulations concerning the practice of Nuclear Medicine. They should also be prepared to field questions submitted by the technologists in their state regarding the laws governing the practice of Nuclear Medicine. At the national level, the TAG may be informed of any issue, in their state, by either the SNMMI Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs (HPRA) staff or the SNMMI –TS Advocacy Committee. This article will provide the TAG with several tools they may employ to stay abreast of any proposed legislative changes to the field of Nuclear Medicine and the means with which they may disseminate this information.
Although these duties are the backbone structure of the TAGs, what information should the TAG representatives know about their own state? To begin with, they should be knowledgeable of the following Nuclear Medicine practices in their state:
- Is it a licensure state?
- What is the term of the license, and what types of exams are required for licensure.
- What type of credentialing is required? i.e. CNMT and/or ARRT(N)
In addition, they should know which modalities are licensed by their state, as well as the state’s continuing education requirement and whether a Scope of Practice is in place for nuclear medicine technologists. They are also responsible for having the contact information for the various heads of Committees that oversee our field. These committees may be the state’s Nuclear Medicine Radiation Control Program/Board, the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), or the NRC Representative. Finally, they need to know who holds the leadership positions in their state government’s Assembly/House and Senate.
To have this information in hand is to have a well-prepared TAG. Having this knowledge, is the key to providing our constituent technologists the answers they seek/need.
But how is it that a state TAG may be made aware of any upcoming challenges to an existing law or a proposed new piece of legislation at their state level? The SNMMI has offered an excellent search engine to assist each and every TAG, regardless of which state is represented. This search engine is called LEGISCAN.
LEGISCAN, www.Legiscan.com, is a free service that provides daily updates as to how our laws and regulations are being shaped in Washington, DC, and/or our state capitals. LEGISCAN sends custom alerts based on search criteria created by the TAG representative. These alerts provide relevant news on state and/or federal legislation, congressional hearings, court opinions, oversight reports, etc.
All the TAG needs to do is to open up the search engine, type in a particular state and LEGISCAN will show any piece of legislation relative to Nuclear Medicine that may be pertinent to that state.
If LEGISCAN shows any Nuclear Medicine activity, the TAG representative should review the proposed legislation to determine how it will impact the nuclear medicine professionals in that state. The TAG representative should then share this same information with the Advocacy Committee, and the SNMMI’s HPRA staff. This is done in order to create a proper response to their technologists.
Once a proper response if formulated with everyone’s input, the TAG would then disseminate this information to their fellow technologists from their state.
The same process is followed if a TAG receives a question from a technologist from their state.
The next tool that will help TAG representatives stay informed is our own TAG E-Community, which provides an opportunity to share questions and topical issues with other members of the TAG Team. Information may be shared by using the email address tag.team@snmmi.org.
Another way to stay current is to communicate with each other. TAG representatives within the same chapter function as a sub-group within the larger TAG Team Group. They should stay in regular contact with one another and discuss current events that impact the nuclear medicine profession. Working together, they can then update others at chapter meetings. Contact information for other TAGs can be found at www.snmmi.org/TAGmembers.
Although TAG duties may seem daunting, they are not. The time commitment is minimal. It involves three or four conference calls a year and, when necessary, addressing issues that arise in the TAG member’s state. Any issue that comes to light, is not only addressed by the TAG, it is also given attention by both the Advocacy Committee and the SNMMI HPRA staff. Support is offered every step of the way.
The TAG distinction is one that the technologist should be proud to have. TAG is more than just an acronym; it is a title that denotes involvement, knowledge, a passion for our profession, and a willingness to see that our field stays relevant and ever expanding.
For more information, please feel free to contact Tony Sicignano, TAG Chair, at a0712@sbcglobal.net and/or Janice Brannon, SNMMI’s staff liaison for the TAG Group, at jbrannon@snmmi.org.