This bill amends RCW 18.84.020 and adds a new section to chapter 18.84 RCW to change supervision and scope rules for radiologic technology. It allows licensed practitioners to supervise diagnostic radiologic technologists, therapeutic radiologic technologists, and magnetic resonance imaging technologists to the extent of the practitioner's scope of practice. It authorizes diagnostic, therapeutic, and MRI technologists to perform parenteral procedures related to radiologic technology when done under the direct supervision of a physician licensed under specified chapters. Intravenous contrast procedures may be performed either under “virtual direct supervision” by a physician using real-time interactive audio and video technology (audio-only excluded) or under the direct supervision of a physician, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a physician assistant. The bill requires clinical staff who have the requisite training and qualifications to respond to an adverse event to be present on-site before intravenous contrast agents are administered. The bill also gives the Secretary of Health authority to recognize organizations that establish standards for radiologist assistant programs and cardiovascular invasive specialist programs and to designate schools meeting those standards as approved. It provides statutory definitions for multiple roles and terms (including radiologic technologist categories, radiologist assistant, cardiovascular invasive specialist, registered X-ray technician, radiologic technology, radiologist, department, and secretary). These are statutory and regulatory changes affecting supervision, permitted procedures, and program approval authority rather than changes to criminal penalties. The excerpt provided omits important implementing details: the text refers to additional rules and to “section 2 of this act” for procedures and levels of supervision but those rules and the definitions of “requisite training and qualifications” are not included here. Prefiling and legislative action dates in the excerpt: prefiled December 8, 2025; first read January 12, 2026; passed the House February 16, 2026 (97-0) and the Senate February 28, 2026 (48-0).

If enacted, the bill lets diagnostic, therapeutic, and MRI technologists take on more invasive tasks (parenteral procedures) when a licensed practitioner supervises them, and it allows intravenous contrast to be given either under a live audio-and-video “virtual direct” supervision or under direct supervision by a physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant. In practice this likely shifts some duties from physicians to trained technologists, may speed patient throughput and access when virtual supervision is used, and will require clinics to ensure trained clinical staff are physically present before contrast is given — a change that could raise staffing and scheduling costs and increase training demands for technologists and onsite staff. The department of health will need to write and enforce rules and start approving or recognizing radiology and cardiovascular training programs, so schools may face new approval costs and administrative work to meet standards. Important details are missing from the extracted facts — notably what counts as the required “requisite training and qualifications,” the specific levels of supervision the secretary will set, and other rule provisions — so the exact scope of training burdens, supervision limits, and regulatory costs remains unclear.