It demonstrates a commitment to quality
care.
The
purpose of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) and
its companies is to provide a mechanism for accreditation of imaging
facilities which perform comprehensive testing in noninvasive vascular,
echocardiography, nuclear medicine/nuclear cardiology/PET, magnetic
resonance, and computed tomography. Through the accreditation process,
laboratories assess every aspect of daily operation and its impact
on the quality of health care provided to patients. Laboratories,
in completing the accreditation application, often identify and
correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality
assurance programs. Because accreditation is renewed every three
years, a long-term commitment to quality and self-assessment is
developed and maintained. Laboratories may use IAC accreditation
as the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care goals.
It provides a confidential peer review.
Designed
to serve laboratories as an educational tool, IAC accreditation
is made up of two crucial steps. First, laboratories conduct a detailed
self-evaluation using The Standards (the specific guidelines
for imaging accreditation) and the application. Completion of the
application requires detailed information on all aspects of laboratory
operation as well as the submission of actual case studies for review.
The case studies are crucial in determining the laboratory's compliance
with The Standards, and are the basis for judgment of the
quality of work that laboratories perform. Once the self-evaluation
is completed, the documents and case studies are reviewed by the
Board of Directors. All aspects of the review are confidential.
It's a recruiting tool.
Accredited
laboratories can use their accreditation as a recruiting tool to
attract the best and brightest physicians, technologists and sonographers.
Talented professionals look for high quality programs, and the status
of accreditation assures potential employees that a laboratory is
dedicated to achieving the highest standards for patient care.
It's intersocietal.
The
IAC is a nonprofit organization comprised of five accrediting member
organizations:
The
IAC companies have been established with the support of the sponsoring
organizations. Representatives from these organizations, including
physicians, sonographers, technologists, and physicists, serve on
the Board of Directors. The
Standards have been created for each IAC company by its Board
of Directors to serve laboratories as a guide. All areas of testing
were represented during the development of The Standards,
and all areas continue to steer the accreditation process.
It's proven successful.
The
story of IAC accreditation began in 1990 with the birth of the ICAVL.
Now in its second decade offering noninvasive vascular accreditation,
the ICAVL has proven itself successful, and reimbursement for vascular
laboratories in more than 30 states hinges on either laboratory
accreditation or technologist certification. During the past ten
years, ICAVL accreditation has been used as the model for similar
programs in other specialties. Echocardiography laboratories
may seek accreditation through the ICAEL. Nuclear medicine, nuclear
cardiology and PET laboratories are served by the ICANL. Magnetic
resonance laboratories may seek accreditation through the ICAMRL.
Computed tomography laboratories apply through the ICACTL.
Collectively, these organizations form the Intersocietal Accreditation
Commission (IAC).
It demonstrates accountability.
Health
care organizations are held to very high levels of accountability
-- by peers, by the general public, and by Medicare and other payers.
Many states have instituted reimbursement directives that require
either accreditation of the laboratory or certification of personnel
(a detailed list of current payment policies can be found on each
IAC company website, in the Reimbursement section). Similar
draft payment policies are pending throughout the United States.
Laboratories attaining accreditation before it is required for reimbursement
demonstrate a willingness to surpass current expectations. The general
public and members of the imaging community will recognize an unmatched
commitment to providing quality health care by laboratories that
achieve IAC accreditation.
