Introducing ICACSF, the Newest Division of the IAC Print this page

The IAC is proud to introduce its newest accreditation program for facilities offering carotid stenting procedures, the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Carotid Stenting Facilities (ICACSF).

The ICACSF accreditation program is currently in the pilot phase. Applications will be accepted beginning in the first quarter of 2011.

About the Program

The ICACSF commenced in 2009 utilizing a multi-specialty approach through the participation of related medical societies with expertise in carotid stenting procedures. Through the ICACSF Board of Directors, guidelines and standards were developed for the performance of carotid stenting procedures that link accreditation to clinical outcome benchmarks for the facility. It is anticipated that such accreditation will be required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for reimbursement for these procedures.

The ICACSF accreditation program is comprised of several separate, yet integrated aspects of quality assurance in the facility. Collectively, the focus and goal of these components is to provide quality patient care. Each facility applying for ICACSF accreditation must develop and implement a quality assurance program that includes but is not limited to:

• An environment for patients that is safe and private
• Physicians and medical personnel that meet published national society training standards pertaining to cervical / extracranial carotid angioplasty and stenting
• Patient education about the test to include contraindications, pre-test preparation and the associated risks involved
• Emergency personnel and equipment
• Infection control
• Equipment maintenance, performance measures and dose assessment
• Diagnostic quality images
• Quality interpretation and correlation of the images
• Radiation dose assessment and documentation

Continued »

---