Welcome To The Missouri Valley Chapter of the SNMMI

The MVC is a regional chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging representing individuals from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Chapter sponsors a Fall meeting each year to provide nuclear medicine professionals with continuing education opportunities addressing the newest innovations and latest developments in the field. The Chapter also acts as a liaison with the SNMMI, which is our national professional society.

- Chapter News -

2025 MVC Annual Meeting

Registration is now open for the MVC 2025 Annual Meeting, Sept. 26-28, 2025 in Kansas City, MO! Visit the Meetings page to find more information, including registration fees and hotel reservations.

Job Opportunities

Cardinal Health has an opening for a Health Physicist position; click here for more details and to apply.

Please review this document for information about a FT Nuclear Medicine Technologist position at Hannibal Regional in Hannibal, MO. Sign-on bonus is available. For more information, contact Kyle Pickett (details in document).

Please review this document for information about a FT Nuclear Medicine Technologist position with DMS Health Iowa. Signing bonus is available. For more information, contact Will Sutor (details in document).

The University of Kansas Health System has 3 new positions available:

SNMMI Monthly Updates

GOVERNANCE & MEMBER ENGAGEMENT

Coming Soon! SNMMI Full Member Category Changes
SNMMI Board of Directors voted to split the Full Member Category (Physician & Scientist). Coming in July 2025, there will be a dues reduction for Full Member Scientist ($399).

SNMMI New Member Category Advanced Practice Providers/Nurses (APPN) This new category was added to our membership in April 2025. We have also formed an e-community for Advanced Practice Providers/Nurses to help connection and community. Anyone who joins as an Associate/APPN member from now until June 2025 will receive waived membership dues ($0.00) until 9/30/25.

Medical Students Outreach Podcast (Episode 6) is now available. Follow the SNMMI Outreach Journey at MCareers.snmmi.org.

HEALTH POLICY & REGULATORY AFFAIRS

State Updates/Technoligist Issues

Pennsylvania & North Carolina Licensure Efforts:

In PA we have reached a standstill over Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) asking for an exemption from the licensure. We hope to have the bill introduced without the RCIS support
The NC Senate introduced S415 in April. The bill passed the Senate Health Committee and will move next to the Senate Finance Committee for a hearing and vote.

Texas:

In Texas there is a concern with registered nurses and physician assistants being able to handle hazardous materials.
The regulation impacts CNMT's ability to administer nuclear medicine procedures and could be a safety issue for patients.
We plan to contact the Texas Department of Health for clarification on the regulatory language.

New Mexico:

The state is enforcing a regulation that forces CNMTs and RTs who have CT certification to attain another license to practice fusion imaging.
According to SNMMI-TS Scope of Practice, CNMTs who have CT certification do not need another license to practice fusion imaging.
SNMMI, ASRT, and NMTCB have all written separate letters to the Medical Imaging And Radiation Therapy Advisory Council (MIRTAC) asking for clarification on the regulation and explaining how it conflicts with technologist's Scope of Practice.

Nuclear Medicine Clarification Act
A Bill was introduced on April 1st, 2025 (Bill Number: H.B. 2541). It was sponsored by Rep. Griffith (VA-9) and Rep. Cline (VA-6).

Watch out for red flags:

The NRC has no reporting requirements for nuclear medicine extravasations.

The bill gives members of Congress the ability to set nuclear medicine extravasation reporting standards - instead of the experts at the NRC.
The NRC is currently creating stronger guidance on nuclear medicine extravasation reporting language.

We will finally have a dose-based system in place for reporting extravasations to the NRC.

SNMMI has written to the NRC expressing support for harm-based reporting requirements.
Dose-based reporting is particularly arbitrary and imposes unnecessary costs and could lead to patients receiving pointless scans.

The bill set 50< rem as a baseline, it is good to have a number!

The dosing requirements in the bill are extremely low.
There is no strong scientific evidence supporting the dosing numbers included in the bill.

This bill will put patients first and ensure safety!

Passing this bill would provide no clear link to patient safety or extravasation prevention.
Despite this strong safety record, medical institutions have established comprehensive protocols to manage the rare occurrence of radiopharmaceutical extravasations.
There are millions of nuclear medicine procedures completed each year; safety and quality are institutions' #1 concern.

SNMMI'S Plan of Action:

Writing Letter to the Chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee
We are asking for ACR, AAPM, ASTRO, and other societies to sign-on to this letter
Creating a One-pager for Congressional Staff
A quick and concise document for hill staffers explaining, background, science, and opposition to the NMCA
Meeting with staff of Energy & Commerce Committee
Planning to meet with staff from the E&C committee to discuss our opposition
Continue to monitor NRC rulemaking on nuclear medicine extravasation reporting
ACMUI has submitted recommendations in 2024; long process, expect a proposal in 2026

Radiopharmaceutical Tariff Section 232

President's FY2026 Budget
Every year, the president releases a proposed budget to Congress for the next fiscal year (FY). This is NOT the official budget which Congress will pass. The President s Budget is used as an opportunity to state their policy objectives and to begin a discussion on national funding priorities.

The President's FY 2026 Budget includes the following recommendations:

$500M appropriated for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)
New programs would allow HHS Secretary to tackle nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety across HHS.

$1.73B decrease for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Defunds HRSA and consolidates health workforce programs (-$1B); retains $6B for select activities. Moves $340B Drug Pricing Program to CMS.

$3.59B decrease for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Refocuses CDC on infectious disease surveillance and public health infrastructure; eliminates duplicative, DEI, or non-essential programs; maintains $4B for core activities. Proposes merging multiple programs into one grant program and giving States more flexibility to address local needs.

$17.59B decrease for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cuts NIH budget, citing waste, loss of public trust, and risky research. Proposes 5 new research institutes, eliminates 4 current ones. Retains ARPA-H and NCI. Keeps $27B for research.

DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING

2025 SNMMI Annual Meeting - Full Program Schedule Online

The full SNMMI Annual Meeting Program Schedule is now available online. Explore the 190 sessions that are planned for this year's meeting - plenaries, CE and scientific sessions, satellite symposia, and more!

Click here to view the program.

Click here to register.

2025 Hal Anger Lectureship: Molecular Vision, Targeted Precision
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Yuni Dewaraja, the William Martell Endowed Professor of Radiology at the University of Michigan, will deliver the Hal Anger Lectureship at the 2025 SNMMI Annual Meeting on June 23, 2025.

Click here to register.
2025 Henry N. Wagner, Jr., MD, Lecture: Advancing Theranostics Globally

Just announced! The Wagner plenary lecturer for the SNMMI Annual Meeting--June 21-24 in New Orleans--will be Andrew M. Scott, MD. Scott is director of the Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Austin Health in Melbourne, Australia, leads the Tumour Targeting Laboratory at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, and is a professor at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.

Click here to register.

Annual Meeting Topics

Mars Shot 2025 SNMMI Annual Meeting CE Session
The Mars Shot Research Fund will hold a CE Session, Mars Shot Mission Updates: Scientific Successes, in person at the SNMMI Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 1:00pm-2:15pm CT. Join moderators Richard Wahl, MD and Munir Ghesani, MD to hear results from projects that improve diagnosis and treatment across a variety of diseases.

Learn More: Special Programming | SNMMI Annual Meeting
Satellite Symposia at the 2025 SNMMI Annual Meeting
Hear directly from industry in these popular one-hour presentations. Satellite Symposia sessions are at mealtimes, breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offer free food! Join to learn about the latest industry has to offer.

Learn More: Satellite Symposia | SNMMI Annual Meeting
Entrepreneur's Panel at the 2025 SNMMI Annual Meeting
The Entrepreneur's Panel, Community Based Sites: Accelerating Clinical Trials and Expanding Access, will be held in person at the SNMMI Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 21 from 3:30pm-4:45pm CT. Join moderator Tiffany Olson, Board Member and former President of Cardinal Health, and a panel of experts to gain invaluable insights.

Learn More: Special Programming | SNMMI Annual Meeting

Pharmacology in Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, 2nd edition

Tailored for nuclear medicine technologists and radiographers, this practice-focused guide offers a concise yet comprehensive introduction to pharmacology essentials. It equips professionals with the knowledge needed to confidently handle imaging-related medications, covering critical topics such as indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, proper usage, drug interactions, and potential adverse effects. Available for 16.75 VOICE credits! Buy it here.

RESEARCH AND QUALITY

Quality of Measures
On April 22, the Quality Measures Development Task Force (QMDTF), Quality Evidence & Patient Safety Committee, Government Relations Committee, and Coding and Reimbursement Committee submitted feedback on Office of Budget Management RFI to the American Medical Association. We provided feedback on the Quality Payment Program, Merit-based Incentive Payment System Program, and Quality Measure Development.

The QMDTF is working the literature searches for several measure concepts:

Post-treatment Imaging Using SPECT/CT and PET/CT
Reporting Incidental Findings After a Cardiac SPECT/CT and PET/CT Study
Review and Documentation of Laboratory Results Prior to RPT Administration
Somatostatin Receptor (SSTR) PET Imaging Scan Prior to Lutathera for Patients with NET
PSMA Scan Prior to 177Lu-PSMA-617 Therapy for Patients with Prostate Cancer

Clinical Practice of Guidelines
As part of the SNMMI's Strategic Plan, SNMMI is working to increase Nuclear Medicine representation on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs). The Quality Evidence and Patient Safety Committee will establish working groups to review any relevant CPGs and provide input where needed.

Priority Topics:
Breast
Prostate
Multiple Myeloma
B-Cell Lymphoma
Neuroendocrine and Adrenal

OUTREACH

Educating Referring Physicians

SNMMI's Outreach Committee regularly submits session proposals to organizations to provide education at their annual meetings on the role of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging within their specialties. The Committee has had great success in 2025, with session proposals and/or satellite symposia accepted by the following societies:

American Society of Clinical Oncology - Genitourinary Cancers Symposium
Arizona Chapter, Infectious Disease Society
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
American Urological Association
American Society of Neuroradiology
Alzheimer's Association
American Thyroid Association
North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society
Midwest Chapter, American College of Healthcare Executives (webinar)

SNMMI supports chapters in providing this type of outreach as well. Members who would like to submit proposals to state or regional chapters of relevant medical societies can contact Outreach Director Linda Budzinski to learn about technical and financial support opportunities. Email Linda Budzinski

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