A new state licensing mandate buried in SB1334 will affect every Pennsylvania health service that employs medical imaging or radiation therapy professionals.
Most Pennsylvania health services owners don't realize that SB1334, signed into law, creates a mandatory new licensing requirement for medical imaging and radiation therapy staff—one that will reshape hiring, compliance, and operational costs for imaging centers, radiology practices, chiropractic offices, urgent care clinics, and similar businesses.
Here's what's happening and what you need to know.
Section 3 of SB1334 (adding Section 13.7(a) to Pennsylvania's medical licensing statute, found on Page 7 of the bill) establishes that any medical imaging professional or radiation therapist employed by a health service must obtain a new state license from the State Board of Medicine. This applies to all imaging staff—not just those in hospital settings, but in private practices, urgent care facilities, diagnostic centers, and other settings where imaging or radiation therapy services are provided.
The law does not grandfather existing staff. Every employee in these roles must meet the new licensing requirement.
SB1334 takes effect 60 days after enactment. However, the licensing mandate itself becomes enforceable two years after the effective date. This means health services have a two-year window to ensure all imaging and radiation therapy staff are licensed, or they face unlawful-practice liability.
For practical purposes: identify your affected staff now, understand the application process, and plan for compliance before the enforcement deadline arrives.
Obtaining the new license will require affected employees to:
• Submit an application to the State Board of Medicine
• Provide proof of relevant certification (such as ARRT or other recognized credentials)
• Pay application and licensing fees
• Meet continuing education requirements set by the Board
• Maintain compliance with ongoing regulatory obligations
These are not trivial burdens. Application fees, certification verification, and continuing education all carry costs and administrative overhead. Health services will need to budget for these expenses and build timelines into their hiring and onboarding processes.
Any Pennsylvania health service that employs:
• Medical imaging professionals (radiologic technologists, CT technologists, ultrasound technologists, etc.)
• Radiation therapists
• Related imaging or radiation therapy staff
This includes not only large radiology departments but also small imaging centers, chiropractic offices with in-house imaging, urgent care clinics, and any other setting where these professionals work.
Review your current staffing to identify who will be affected. Familiarize yourself with the State Board of Medicine's licensing process and fee structure. Plan to communicate the requirement to your imaging and radiation therapy staff well before the two-year deadline. Consider whether your hiring practices, credentialing procedures, and compliance tracking systems need updating to accommodate the new requirement.
The two-year window provides time to prepare, but it will close. Waiting until the last months before enforcement could create staffing disruptions and compliance risk.
For a detailed breakdown of how this provision affects your specific health service, consult your legal counsel or industry association.