 |
20 Years of ICAVL:
A Wonderful Reason to Celebrate!
|
2010 is a very special year marking the 20th anniversary of the ICAVL.
 |
| ICAVL 20-year anniversary logo. |
|
|
The theme, 20 Years of Vascular Accreditation, is incorporated into the design of the anniversary logo, shown left. This special commemorative logo is being featured throughout the year on such items as the ICAVL letterhead and envelopes, and in recognition on the ICAVL website.
A celebration will take place during the Vascular Annual Meeting hosted by the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU), held June 10-13, 2010 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. More details will follow and be provided on the ICAVL website.
Looking Back
Many important factors have shaped the progress of the ICAVL over the past 20 years. The early 1980s brought the rapid growth of noninvasive vascular testing, and with it the increasing concern that exams were being performed by multiple specialties with no defined standards for training, experience, examination performance or interpretation. The time was right to come together in a multi-specialty effort to standardize the field. Established in 1990 as a means to assess the quality of noninvasive vascular laboratories, the ICAVL was the pioneering division for what would later become the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Increasing numbers of laboratories became interested in ICAVL accreditation, some voluntarily as a process of self-evaluation, others in response to reimbursement directives implemented by Medicare and private payers. Today, nearly 2,300 sites across the country are ICAVL accredited, and those numbers continue to grow.
 |
| ICAVL Board and staff members enjoy the anniversary celebration. |
|
|
Success in the years that followed also brought forth a need in the imaging community for a similar program to accredit other modalities, such as echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and nuclear medicine. The ICAVL became the template by which subsequent IAC divisions were developed.
The Road Ahead
As more laboratories strive to improve the quality of their imaging practices and embrace the concept of accreditation, the ICAVL of 2010 continues to be an important and vital presence in the noninvasive vascular community. The ICAVL looks forward to what the future will bring, particularly for the value and importance of accreditation. Sandra Katanick, CEO, stated, "It has been rewarding to see that we really do make a difference and contribute to improved patient care by improving the quality of diagnostic imaging."
A Word of Thanks
The ICAVL sincerely thanks its Board of Directors, all who serve as site visitors and reviewers and staff for realizing this momentous achievement. Together, your continuing efforts helped shape the ICAVL to become what it is today and fulfill the mission it set out to achieve when it was established in 1990.
|
|
|
| |
volume 3, issue 1
spring 2010 |
|
|
Let us know what you think
about the new online format
of the IAC Newsletter. Share » |
|
