A message from Nancy Patterson, National Graves’ Disease Foundation
director and fellow Graves’ warrior:
There is about to be a new rule proposed by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) that would require that RAI only be given by
radiologists or hospitals, and would no longer be given by licensed
endocrinologists. Those endocrinologists who are already licensed to
administer RAI would be “grandfathered in,” but no new licenses would
be issued. Obviously, doctors are writing in asking them to reconsider,
and letters from patients would also be very important. WE are the
ones that use this service.
As an example (a very sad one) of how this can be to our detriment,
consider the case of a man, diagnosed with Graves’, for whom it took
three more weeks to get additional scans and ultrasounds, and then
three more weeks before the RAI could be administered because the
radiologist was going away on vacation. He died in thyroid storm
before his thyroid could be treated. Had his physician been licensed
to administer RAI, he could have been treated, and in all likelihood,
be alive and recovering.
PLEASE take the time to cut and paste and mail letters to the four
NRC commissioners listed below. The DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 15–less
than four weeks away. Feel free to forward this message to other
Graves’ warriors. Also, please let me know that you wrote, so I can
give Dr. Jack Baskins (from AACE) an idea of the number of supportive
letters that were sent from patients. THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO–
RATHER THAN COMPLAIN THAT WE HAVE NO INFLUENCE!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ letter samples ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Date:
From: (Name, Address, e-mail)
Re: Revisions to 10 CFR Part 35 (Medical Uses of Byproduct Materials)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#1
I am a Graves’ disease patient, and as such, have had (or will
have) Radioactive Iodine in the treatment of my illness. At the
present time, I-131 can be given either in a hospital, or in the
physician’s office. There are several advantages to having the
endocrinologist licensed to give I-131 for Graves’ Disease in the
office. These include: There is more personal, accurate, and focused
attention between the patient and physician. There is less room for
error in the physician’s office. It is cost effective to have office-
administered I-131. The cost of hospital administration increases
the cost of the procedure by two to three times. It reduces the
fear and anxiety of this treatment to have it administered in the
office. Based on NRC data, there is no documented misadministration
of I-131 by endocrinologists.
(Enter your personal experience here)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#2
Briefly, there are four points that are especially important to
consider if endocrinologists are no longer licensed to administer
I-131 in their offices:
1. There is an increased potential for safety hazards and/or errors
in the hospital.
2. There is a large increase in the cost to the patient.
3. There may be increased emotional trauma during treatment at the
hospital.
4. There is an increased layer of complexity and margin of error made
by the necessity of multiple referrals.
(Your personal experience here)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mail to:
1. The Honorable Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Chairwoman
Commissioner, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Room 17D1
One White Flint North Building
11555 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852-2738
The other Commissioners are at the same above address:
2. The Honorable Edward McGaffigan, Jr. , Room 18G1
3. The Honorable Greta Dicus, Room 18H1
4. The Honorable Nills J. Diaz, Room 18F1
