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Administrative Code

Virginia Administrative Code
11/21/2024

Article 4. Positron Emission Tomography

12VAC5-230-200. Travel time.

Article 4
Positron Emission Tomography

PET services should be within 60 minutes driving time one way under normal conditions of 95% of the health planning district using a mapping software as determined by the commissioner.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 9, eff. February 15, 2009.

12VAC5-230-210. Need for new fixed site service.


A. If the applicant is a hospital, whether free-standing or within a hospital system, 850 new PET appropriate cases shall have been diagnosed and the hospital shall have provided radiation therapy services with specific ancillary services suitable for the equipment before a new fixed site PET service should be approved for the health planning district.

B. No new fixed site PET services should be approved unless an average of 6,000 procedures per existing and approved fixed site PET scanner were performed in the health planning district during the relevant reporting period and the proposed new service would not significantly reduce the utilization of existing fixed site PET providers in the health planning district . The utilization of existing scanners operated by a hospital and serving an area distinct from the proposed new service site may be disregarded in computing the average utilization of PET units in such health planning district.

Note: For the purposes of tracking volume utilization, an image taken with a PET/CT scanner that takes concurrent PET/CT images shall be counted as one PET procedure. Images made with PET/CT scanners that can take PET or CT images independently shall be counted as individual PET procedures and CT procedures respectively, unless those images are made concurrently.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 9, eff. February 15, 2009.

12VAC5-230-220. Expansion of fixed site services.

Proposals to increase the number of PET scanners in an existing PET service should be approved only when the existing scanners performed an average of 6,000 procedures for the relevant reporting period and the proposed expansion would not significantly reduce the utilization of existing fixed site providers in the health planning district.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 9, eff. February 15, 2009.

12VAC5-230-230. Adding or expansing mobile PET or PET/CT services.

A. Proposals for mobile PET or PET/CT scanners should demonstrate that, for the relevant reporting period, at least 230 PET or PET/CT appropriate patients were seen and that the proposed mobile unit will not significantly reduce the utilization of existing providers in the health planning district.

B. Proposals to convert authorized mobile PET or PET/CT scanners to fixed site scanners should demonstrate that, for the relevant reporting period, at least 1,400 procedures were performed by the mobile scanner and that the proposed conversion will not significantly reduce the utilization of existing providers in the health planning district .

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 9, eff. February 15, 2009.

12VAC5-230-240. Staffing.

PET services should be under the direction or supervision of one or more qualified physicians. Such physicians shall be designated or authorized by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or licensed by the Division of Radiologic Health of the Virginia Department of Health, as applicable.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-102.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 9, eff. February 15, 2009.

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