TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS:
While
it is not the Carrier's intention or jurisdiction to credential
providers, Medicare does expect a satisfactory level of competence
from providers who submit claims for services rendered. It
is well known that substandard studies often lead to preventable
repetition of studies and overutilization of services.
The
acceptable levels of competence, as defined by the American
College of Cardiology / American Heart Association Clinical
Competence Statement on Echocardiography (2003), are outlined
as follows:
For
the technical portion, an acceptable level of competence
is fulfilled when the image acquisition is obtained under
any one of the following conditions:
a.
The service is performed by a physician; or
b.
The service is performed by a technician who is credentialed
as either a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS)
through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
or as a Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) through the
Cardiovascular Credentialing International; or
c.
The service is performed at a laboratory (e.g.: office,
IDTF), credentialed by the Intersocietal Commission for
the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL).
For
the professional portion, an acceptable level of competence
is fulfilled when the interpretation is performed by a physician
meeting any one of the following requirements:
a.
The physician is board certified in Cardiovascular Diseases;
or
b.
The physician has Level II training in transthoracic echocardiography,
as defined by the American College of Cardiology / American
Heart Association / American College of Physicians Task
Force on Clinical Competence in Echocardiography, or the
equivalent of Level II training as set forth in that document;
or
c.
The physician provides the interpretation in conjunction
with a study that is performed at a laboratory that is accredited
by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of
Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) and that is subject
to such laboratory's quality assurance policies and procedures;
or
d.
The physician has staff privileges to interpret echocardiograms
at a hospital that participates in the Medicare program.
All
echocardiography services require a referring or an ordering
physician.
