Radiation Requirements for Tennessee by Kevin Christian

Navigating the myriad of regulations that govern a dental office can be daunting.  And the last thing anything wants is to be out of compliance without even knowing it.  My name is Kevin Christian, and I am the TDA endorsed private X-ray inspector in the State of Tennessee.  I want to take a second to help you avoid some of the common pitfalls that dentists often fall into when purchasing X-ray equipment.

“My X-ray installer told me he was taking care of all of the paperwork for me.”  This statement can be misleading and result in the most common mistake that dentists make.  When an installer says they are taking care of the paperwork, they are referring to an FDA document commonly known as a 2579 (“Report of Assembly”).  What they are not doing is registering the equipment with the State of Tennessee on your behalf.  In the end, failure to register and inspect the equipment will result in potential fines and penalties leveed on the dentist and not on the installer.

To help illustrate this concept, I want to use the analogy of a car sale.  When you purchase a vehicle, the dealer does, in fact, fill out paperwork and file it with regulators concerning the sale of the car.  However, that does not change the fact that you still have to have the vehicle inspected for emissions and then registered.  If a person was pulled over by a trooper for not having plates and a tag, one could not use the excuse that they thought the dealer took care of that part for them.

Staying with this analogy, the inspection of the equipment is part of the responsibility that comes with the purchase as well.  Fortunately for dentists in Tennessee, the State incentivizes you to use private inspectors for the inspection of X-ray units in the form of an 82% discount on the tax you pay annually for the possession of the X-ray equipment.  Private inspectors save you money.

I have summarized the basic facts regarding registering your equipment that you need to know when starting a new practice, adding a new cone beam, replacing a broken PA unit or even opening a satellite location.

• You have 10 days to contact the State directly: 615-532-0364 (ask for Marilyn Vetter or Dora Sherrill)
• Once any equipment is installed, you have 90 days to get it inspected.  I can do that for you (615-268-4345 or [email protected]).
• Once these initial steps are taken, your equipment must be inspected once every 4 years to stay in compliance.
• All changes to your X-ray equipment have to be reported to the State and to me as soon as they are installed in order to make sure all deadlines and compliance are met.

To learn more, visit my website: kevinchristianllc.com