Section 401.140  Requirements for Renewal of Accreditation

a)         Prerequisites

1)         An individual shall make application for renewal of accreditation on or before the expiration date of the accreditation.  Accreditation shall lapse if not renewed within this time period.  An individual may not legally perform medical radiation technology without valid accreditation, or without the expressed approval of the Agency during such time as an application may be pending.  Such approval shall be limited to the applicant who meets all requirements for accreditation and requires additional time for the filing of continuing education records, or is undergoing an Agency audit of continuing education records. 

2)         Each applicant shall submit a complete and legible application with the fee for renewal of accreditation in accordance with Section 401.130 of this Part.  Submission of a timely and sufficient application for renewal shall hold the prior accreditation valid until such time as the Agency acts to grant or deny renewal of accreditation.  The Agency will grant or deny renewal of accreditation within 90 days after receipt of application for renewal or the expiration date of the current accreditation, whichever is later.

b)         Continuing Education Requirements

All applicants for renewal of accreditation shall have participated in an approved program that includes the amount of continuing education as indicated in subsection (b)(1) of this Section:

1)         The required effort in continuing education credits for each category of medical radiation technology is as follows:

2)         The options for meeting the CE requirements are:

A)        A continuing education activity approved by the Agency.  Relevant CE activities will be approved if submitted 30 days in advance, with appropriate documentation consisting of:

i)          The Agency's CE approved request form,

ii)         Course Outline,

iii)         Course Objectives, and

iv)        Instructor's curriculum vitae.

B)        Category A Activities – A continuing education activity that meets one of the following criteria: 

i)          Activities approved by an RCEEM.

ii)         Approved academic courses offered by a post-secondary educational institution that are relevant to the radiologic sciences and/or patient care.  Courses in the biologic sciences, physical sciences, communication (verbal and written), mathematics, computers, management or education methodology are considered relevant.  Credit will be awarded at the rate of 12 CE credits for each academic quarter or 16 CE credits for each academic semester credit.

iii)         Advanced Life Support, or Instructor or Instructor Trainer CPR certification through the Heart Association or the Red Cross will be awarded 6 CE credits.

AGENCY NOTE:   Illinois is currently approved as meeting ARRT CE criteria.  As such, technologists accredited by the Agency may count all Agency approved CE activities as Category A.

C)        Technologists may also meet CE requirements (24 credits) by passing an additional primary or post-primary (advance level) exam, approved or acceptable to ARRT.  A listing of approved or acceptable exams is available from ARRT or the Agency. 

3)         Individual courses may be applicable to more than one category of accreditation. 

4)         All technologists accredited by the Agency are required to maintain proof of participation in CE activities.  This proof may be in the form of a certificate or an itemized list from an ARRT approved record keeping mechanism.  All documentation shall include:

A)        name of participant,

B)        dates of attendance,

C)        title and content of the activity,

D)        number of contact hours for the activity,

E)         name of the sponsor,

F)         signature of the instructor or an authorized representative of the sponsor issuing the documentation, and

G)        a reference number if the activity has been approved by an RCEEM or the Agency.

5)         Technologists seeking renewal will be required to attest that they have acquired the required number of CE credits.  Within 30 days after receipt of this attestation, the Agency may perform an audit in which the individual will be asked to provide copies of documentation of CE.  Failure to respond to the Agency's audit request and/or failure to provide acceptable documentation may result in a refusal to renew accreditation as provided in Section 401.120(a)(14) of this Part.

6)         Technologists who are registered with ARRT, NMTCB, or CBRPA and who are in compliance with CE requirements or on CE probation at the time of renewal with the Agency will be considered in compliance with the CE requirements of this Part.

c)         Nonrenewal of Accreditation

1)         The Agency shall not renew an individual's accreditation if he/she fails to present satisfactory evidence that he/she possesses the necessary qualifications for accreditation, and that he/she has participated in an approved continuing education program in accordance with this Part.

2)         If the Agency does not find satisfactory evidence that the individual meets these requirements, the Agency shall, within 90 days after receipt of the application for renewal of accreditation or the expiration date of the current accreditation, whichever is later, send the individual a Notice of Intent Not to Renew Accreditation.  This notice shall include the areas of deficiency and the individual's rights as set forth in this Section.

3)         The individual, at any time while an application is pending, may submit additional information to the Agency in order to establish that the identified areas of deficiency have been met or corrected.

4)         If the applicant does not provide additional information to the Agency within the time frame specified in the Notice of Intent Not to Renew Accreditation, the Agency shall issue a Notice of Accreditation Denied.

5)         An individual's current credential shall be invalid as of the date of his/her receipt of a Notice of Accreditation Denied pursuant to subsection (c)(4) of this Section.  After the Agency has sent the Notice of Accreditation Denied, the individual may request a hearing within 30 days in accordance with 32 Ill. Adm. Code 200.70.  The individual shall have the burden of proof in accordance with 32 Ill. Adm. Code 200.150.

6)         If an individual's accreditation is not renewed, he/she shall have the right at any time to submit an application for renewal of accreditation. The application shall be reviewed and processed in accordance with the requirements of this Section, except that an individual may not legally apply ionizing radiation to human beings until and unless the Agency has acted to grant the application for renewal of accreditation.

(Source:  Amended at 31 Ill. Reg. 11622, effective July 26, 2007)