Changes: The Latest Revisions To The ICAEL Standards
from
the April 2006 issue
As
an accreditation organization, the ICAEL is expected to maintain
a program that balances the changing needs of both the echocardiography
community and the general public by influencing the quality
of patient care provided. The ICAEL Standards are the
most important component of that commitment. Composed by physicians
and sonographers from the ICAEL's four sponsoring organizations,
the Standards are intensely reviewed every two years
by the ICAEL Board of Directors and revised as needed. In conjunction
with a review completed in February 2006, the ICAEL is pleased
to announce the release of the 2006 ICAEL Standards.
This
article will provide an overview of the key revisions made to
the 2006 ICAEL Standards. Please visit www.icael.org
to access the new Standards. Upon opening these documents
online, you will find that the edits made in conjunction with
the release of this new version appear as highlighted text.
However, when the documents are printed, the highlights will
not appear in your permanent copy. For a minimal shipping and
handling fee, the ICAEL will send a printed copy of the Standards
to laboratories that have previously purchased the accreditation
materials but are unable to obtain the documents online.
Following
is a summary of the primary changes made within the 2006 ICAEL
Standards. In numerous statements throughout each document,
the Standards were strengthened, with the word "should"
being replaced by "must." This revision changes
these guidelines from recommendations to requirements.
PART I
Summary Of Revisions To Organization Standards
The
Medical Director Required Training and Experience was revised
to read as follows:
The Medical Director must
meet one of the following criteria:
A) Level III training in echocardiography
B) Completion of a twelve-month formal training program in echocardiography
C) Level II training in echocardiography plus one year of experience that includes interpretation of at least 600 echocardiogram/Doppler examinations
D) Completion of a six-month formal training program in echocardiography plus one year of experience that includes interpretation of at least 600 echocardiogram/Doppler examinations
E) Three years of echocardiography practice experience and at least 1,800 echocardiogram/Doppler examination interpretations, preferably with Testamur status by the National Board of Echocardiography (NBE) in Echocardiography by 2010
An
additional requirement appears as item D under Medical Director
Responsibilities:
D) The Medical Director must
be an active participant in the interpretation of studies
performed in the laboratory.
Medical
Director CME requirements were revised to now read as follows:
1.1.3 Continuing Medical Education
Requirements (CME): The CME requirement for first-time applicants
is a recommendation. However, appropriate CME is required
at reaccreditation.
A) The Medical Director must document at least 30 hours
of Category I AMA CME credits in echocardiography over a period
of three (3) years. All of the CME must be Category I AMA
and must be relevant to echocardiography.
B) Yearly accumulated continuing education must be kept on
file and available to the ICAEL when requested.
Comment: If the Medical Director has completed formal
training as specified under 1.1.1 (A or B) in the past three
years, or has successfully acquired Testamur status by passing
the Examination of Special Competence in Adult Echocardiography
by the NBE within the past three (3) years, the CME requirement
will be considered fulfilled.
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