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Listed
below are some of the more common questions asked by first-time
users of the Electronic Application CD.
1.
Where do I go for guidance while working
with the Electronic Application? 2.
Do I need to reinstall the program each
time I work on the application? 3.
Should I complete the Organization
section of the Electronic Application before I answer the questions
in the other sections? 4.
Does it matter if I complete the application
using all capital letters? 5.
How do I move the data I have already entered
in the Electronic Application to a new computer? 6.
How do I back up the data in my Electronic
Application? 7.
The CME table in the Organization section
of the application is not providing the correct calculation.
What should I do? 8.
How do I pay for ICAVL accreditation? 9.
If I am applying for reaccreditation,
do I need to complete the entire Electronic Application?
1.
Where do I go for guidance while working with the Electronic
Application?
A Help Menu is available to guide you through completion
of the Electronic Application. A click of the mouse will open
the Help Menu from menu bar located along the top of the computer
screen whenever the Electronic Application is open. Additional
questions regarding the use of the Electronic Application software
can be answered by the Information Technology (IT) professionals
at Training Wheels by calling 301-696-0901. As always, the ICAVL
staff is available at 410-872-0100 or toll-free at 800-838-2110
to answer general and clinical questions regarding the application
for accreditation. Please feel free to contact us at any time.
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2.
Do I need to reinstall the program each time I work on the application?
No. Once you install the application on your computer, remove
the CD and store it in a safe place. DO NOT REINSTALL THE CD
FOR ANY REASON. Reinstalling the CD after you have begun completion
of the application will erase all data that you have entered.
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3.
Should I complete the Organization section of the Electronic
Application before I answer the questions in the other sections?
One of the major benefits of the Electronic Application
over previous iterations of the application is the automatic
placement of recurrent information. For example, once the names
of laboratory staff members have been entered into the application,
those names will reappear throughout the application wherever
necessary. For this reason, it is best to complete at least
the first eight pages of the Organization section before beginning
the other sections.
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4.
Does it matter if I complete the application using all capital
letters?
Yes. Very much. The information you complete is correlated
with fields in the ICAVL Database when you submit your application
for accreditation. If you use all capital letters, your information
will always appear that way - in correspondence between laboratory
staff and the ICAVL, on the laboratory list, on your certificates.
ICAVL staff make every effort to proof the information you send
to us, and we make minor corrections while processing applications.
Currently, we re-type information from laboratories that submit
the application using all capital letters. However, in the future
we may return applications to your laboratory when we judge
the corrections too cumbersome for our staff to complete. Please
type information in a correct grammatical fashion.
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5.
How do I move the data I have already entered in the Electronic
Application to a new computer? 6.
How do I back up the data in my Electronic Application?
To protect yourself from lost data, we recommend that the
data in your Electronic Application be backed up to a floppy
disk once every one or two days while completing the application,
just as you should when working on any major project on computer.
Backing up data to disk is easy, and is the first step when
transferring information to a new computer (or when formatting
the hard drive of the computer on which the Electronic Application
is already installed). To back up data, insert a blank floppy
disk into the appropriate drive. Open the Electronic Application
to the main menu. The Menu bar appears at the top of the screen,
select File->Backup. The data is now backed up on
the floppy disk. To retrieve that data, it is necessary to use
a computer with the Electronic Application already installed.
When the computer is ready for the data, put the disk in the
floppy drive, go to the Main Menu, and select File->Restore.
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7.
The CME table in the Organization section of the application
is not providing the correct calculation. What should I do?
You are not the only person experiencing this problem. If
you are having trouble with the staff CME page calculating incorrectly,
a software patch has been created to correct the miscalculation.
The patch is available on the Training Wheels Web site. Steps
to install the patch, including how to properly back up the
contents of your application, are provided on that same page.
The patch is approximately 8 megabytes. Depending on your internet
connection, it may take some time to download. We suggest you
download the patch during a time when your computer will not
be needed for any other operation. The staff of Training Wheels
is available to answer any questions you may have regarding
the patch. Click
here to go to the Training Wheels Web site and begin the download.
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8.
How do I pay for ICAVL accreditation?
On the surface, this may not seem like a question related
to the Electronic Application. However, among the many automated
features of the application is an auto-generated payment form
that will print along with the application. To open the form,
select "Edit/Print Financial Statement" from the main
menu. The form calculates factors such as the number of areas
in which the laboratory is applying, and any multiple site or
mobile application fees that may apply. In addition, the form
factors in the $200 discount for applying electronically. You
may provide credit card information or your laboratory may pay
by check. Checks should be payable to the ICAVL.
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9.
If I am applying for reaccreditation, do I need to complete
the entire Electronic Application?
Yes, it will be necessary to complete the entire application,
including all attachments, the first time you apply for accreditation
using the Electronic Application. However, this new application
will be much easier to complete than those in the past since
all narrative questions have been eliminated and replaced with
multiple choice pull down menus or yes/no answers. In three
years, when you apply again for reaccreditation, you will not
be starting from scratch. The data you submit with this application
will be returned to you. When you begin the reaccreditation
application, previous answers will appear and need only be updated
to reflect current practices in your laboratory.
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