Reaccreditation: Raising The Bar
THE
ICAEL CHALLENGES LABORATORIES TO KEEP IMPROVING AND EVOLVING
from
the December 2005 issue
While
the ICAEL Board of Directors has taken steps in recent years
to streamline the application process for laboratories that
have been previously granted accreditation (i.e.: fewer case
studies required), the expectations for laboratories seeking
reaccreditation are high. As outlined in detail below, when
it comes to areas such as compliance with CME standards, the
use of current testing protocols, documentation of quality assurance
measures, consistency among final reports, adherence to diagnostic
criteria and hardcopy documentation for case studies, laboratories
that have already been through the accreditation process at
least once are expected to demonstrate continual improvement,
particularly in these crucial areas.
Currently
there are approximately 800 echocardiography laboratories in
the United States and Canada accredited by the ICAEL. Some of
these laboratories have been granted accreditation as many as
3 times by the ICAEL. Each quarter there are between 80 and
110 laboratories that submit applications for accreditation.
Of these applicants, just over 75% are applying for reaccreditation
of their laboratory. Each quarter nearly 55% of the laboratories
applying for reaccreditation receive a delayed accreditation
decision, due to lack of adherence to one or more of the ICAEL
Standards.
The
Standards are reviewed and revised by the Board of Directors
every two years. All laboratories that have purchased the accreditation
material are notified of the standard revisions and encouraged
to read the revisions and make any necessary changes to the
laboratory policies and procedures at that time.
Below
is a summary of some of the most common errors or exclusions
noted in applications submitted for reaccreditation, and ways
to potentially avoid a delay or lapse in your laboratory's accreditation
status.
Application Deadlines
The
ICAEL application deadlines do not change and are as follows:
February 1, May 1, August 1, and November
1.
- The
ICAEL attempts to assist labs in avoiding a lapse in their
accreditation status by reminding applicants of the application
deadline they must meet through two pieces of correspondence.
The reaccreditation reminder letter is sent twelve
to fourteen months prior to the application deadline, followed
by a reminder postcard approximately six months before
the required submission date. Keep in mind that the review
process takes four months to complete. Therefore, the reaccreditation
application must be submitted at the deadline that falls on
the first of the month, four months prior to the expiration
date listed on the laboratory's current accreditation certificates.
The accreditation will not be extended under any circumstance
and failure to meet the required deadline will result in expiration
of the accreditation.
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