114871. (a) In addition to the limited permits authorized to be issued pursuant to Section 114870, the department may issue to a person a limited permit in podiatric radiography, authorizing radiography of only the foot, ankle, tibia, and fibula, if the following conditions are met:
(1) The person has completed a course in radiation safety and radiologic technology approved by the department pursuant to subdivision (b), that is provided by a licensed doctor of podiatric medicine who holds a current and valid radiography supervisor and operator permit issued by the department pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 114870, and that complies with all of the following:
(A) The course shall include instruction in radiation protection and safety, principles of radiographic exposure, quality control, image processing, anatomy and physiology, digital radiography, positioning, and the performance of at least 50 x-ray procedures under supervision.
(B) The course shall require a minimum of 60 hours of education, which may be online.
(C) The person in the course described in this subdivision is deemed to be within the exception specified in subdivision (b) of Section 106975, provided the person is operating x-ray machines under supervision of a licensed doctor of podiatric medicine who holds a current and valid radiography supervisor and operator permit issued by the department pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 114870.
(D) The training may not exceed one year for any one student. There shall not be, at any one time, more than one student per licensed doctor of podiatric medicine who holds a current and valid radiography supervisor and operator permit.
(2) The person has satisfied the eligibility requirements defined in Section 30444 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, or its successor, including passing department-approved examinations in radiation protection and safety, and podiatric radiologic technology.
(b) An applicant for providing the course described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall submit an application, including any required application fees, for approval in accordance with the department’s regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 114870. The applicant is subject to Section 107055.
(c) A permit in podiatric radiography authorizes the holder to operate podiatric x-ray equipment in accordance with the department’s regulations adopted pursuant to the Radiologic Technology Act (Section 27) in a podiatric office only while under the supervision of a certified supervisor and operator who is a licensed doctor of podiatric medicine. For purposes of this section, “podiatric office” means the physical location of the podiatrist’s place of private practice, or, if the approved podiatrist is part of a podiatric medical group, that group’s physical place of private practice. “Podiatric office” does not include an office of a medical group that includes a podiatrist, an office within a hospital of a podiatrist who provides services to the hospital patients, or a mobile office.
(d) This section does not increase the scope of practice of a doctor of podiatric medicine or authorize the holder of the permit to perform x-rays beyond the foot, ankle, tibia, and fibula.
(e) The department shall adopt initial regulations implementing this section by July 1, 2023. The regulations shall be exempt from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), except that the department shall post the proposed regulations on its internet website for public comment for 30 days. The comments received shall be considered by the department and the final adopted regulations shall be filed with the Office of Administrative Law for publication in the California Code of Regulations.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 580, Sec. 4. (AB 1704) Effective January 1, 2023.)