Welcome to the official website of the ICANL. Accreditation is a voluntary process, although reimbursement policies have been enacted throughout the United States by Medicare and other providers that require ICANL accreditation. This website provides access to general information, technical articles, reimbursement policies, and a list of accredited laboratories for the ICANL.

Our new address is
6021 University Blvd, Suite 500
Ellicott City, MD 21043

800.838.2110 | phone
800.581.7889 | fax

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Special Event: Live Reimbursement Webinar

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PAYMENT POLICIES AND ACCREDITATION: WHAT LABORATORIES NEED TO KNOW TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 1pm ET | Register>>
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 7pm ET | Register>>

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Payment policies and an overall concern for quality in diagnostic imaging have heightened interest and incentives for laboratories to earn accreditation. During this free webinar, participants will interact with experts from the IAC to learn about payment policies requiring accreditation and discuss how to ensure their laboratories' compliance. Read more>>
This event is free and open to all!

Molybdenum-99 Shortage As It Relates To ICANL Accreditation
On May 18, 2009, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. announced that the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ontario will be out of service for a month or more after a heavy water leak was detected in the facility. AECL expects it will be unable to meet demand for medical isotopes beginning May 23, 2009. Learn how this shortage affects ICANL Laboratories. Read More >>

Emerging Technologies JUNE 1, 2009 | The ICANL announced today that it will accept accreditation applications from laboratories utilizing new technologies and other novel imaging approaches that, to date, are not included in the guidelines published by the professional societies.

Read more about the new Emerging Technologies Pathway and the new Quality Assessment Patient Simulator Program, a joint program by the ICANL and the SNM.
Download the informational handout >>
Download the ICANL Press Release >>

Paperless Submission
The ICANL is going green. In an effort to both streamline the accreditation process and preserve the environment, the ICANL Online Accreditation application process will become paperless with the October 1, 2009 application deadline. Read More >>

Applications Will Now Be Accepted At Any Time throughout the Year
In response to customers’ expressed needs, beginning April 1st, 2009, laboratories may submit applications at anytime via the Online Accreditation application. Read More >>

Changes for CME
Lack of CME is the most common deficiency among applicant laboratories.  In an attempt to assist laboratories with improving upon this deficient area, the ICANL Board of Directors has determined that beginning July 1, 2009, first time applicant laboratories will no longer be granted one year provisional status for inadequate CME. Read More >>

Reminder: Nuclear Cardiology Case Study Selection Requirements Have Changed
Effective January 1, 2009, laboratories applying for accreditation in RMPI are no longer required to follow the random selection criteria when submitting RMPI case studies. Instead, laboratories are required to represent their best work through submission of five (5) complete RMPI studies. In addition labs are required to submit 2 abnormal reports from each interpreting physician listed in the application. Read More >>

CHANGE IN POLICY: DELAYED LABORATORIES
The following policy will be applied to all application deadlines occurring after September 1, 2008.

Upon receiving a delayed accreditation decision, the laboratory will:

• have one year to provide the additionally requested documentation demonstrating adherence to the Standards as outlined in the accreditation notification letter
• be permitted to submit one set of delay material to be reviewed by the applicable IAC division, free of charge
• be assessed a $200 review fee if, after providing the additional material, the laboratory still has not demonstrated compliance and further information is required
• have a maximum of only three delay material submissions to demonstrate compliance; if continued non-compliance is documented after review of the three resubmissions, the laboratory will be required to fully reapply for accreditation and undergo a complete application review. (Note: Each testing area in which a lab applies is considered independent and allowed a total of three submissions each.)
• All accreditation fees are non-refundable and will be due at the time of subsequent application submissions.

To learn more, please see Change In Policy: Delay Status, appearing in the Autumn 2008 issue of the IAC newsletter. >>

Accreditation Mandate Included in New Medicare Bill
IAC Commends the U.S. Congress for Passing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act

JULY 2008 | The U.S. Congress passed and upheld the Patients and Providers Act on July 9th and 15th, 2008. The bill requires that by 2012, providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services, inclusive of Nuclear Medicine, MR, CT, and PET, must obtain accreditation as a condition for reimbursement. In addition, it establishes a two year voluntary program to collect data regarding physician compliance with appropriateness criteria in order to determine the appropriateness of advanced diagnostic imaging services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries.

For details, please read the article on the IAC newsletter. >>

UnitedHealth Group Extends Deadline Requiring Accreditation for Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology and PET Imaging
AUGUST 21, 2008 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UnitedHealth Group (UnitedHealthcare), regarding its announcement requiring all participating, freestanding imaging facilities and physician offices performing nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology, and PET procedures to apply for accreditation as a condition for reimbursement, has extended its original March 1, 2008 deadline for this requirement until the fourth quarter of 2009. Read more >>

Attention Nuclear Laboratories Using New Technologies:
The ICANL Board of Directors has agreed to accept applications from laboratories utilizing new technologies and other novel imaging approaches that to date are not included in any guidelines published by the professional societies. These laboratories will be eligible for a one year provisional accreditation while undergoing additional review. Read More >>

To view the updated ASNC guidelines for stress testing, go to www.asnc.org/section_73.cfm

Free webcasts to help your lab!
The ICANL has created a series of webcasts entitled Accreditation On Demand. Now you can learn about accreditation at your leisure, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, for FREE. Choose a topic you wish to learn more about, sit back, and listen. Learning about the process of accreditation has never been so easy.
Go to Accreditation On Demand >>

Webinar on Medicare’s Latest Imaging Policies
Check out this special webinar session, “How Will Medicare’s New Imaging Policies On Accreditation and Appropriateness Affect You?” archived from October 14, 2008. Provided by Philips Healthcare. Watch the webinar >>