IL outpatient facility, nurses fined over improper X-ray machine use

Two nurses and Rush SurgiCenter have been fined by a state agency for violating radiation protection regulations after an investigation found that the nurses operated X-ray equipment they were not supposed to use. By Illinois law, radiologic equipment must be operated by health professionals licensed under the state Medical Practice Act. The civil penalty from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency comes amid growing national concern about overexposure to medical radiation, including highly publicized cases in which patients were injured or died after undergoing CT scans and other radiologic procedures. Some patients were overdosed as a result of human error.