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BACK
The ICANL
randomly selects a percentage of the applications received each
quarter and require only that select group to undergo a site
visit. These laboratories are contacted in advance by the
ICANL site visitor to schedule a date for the site visit. The
applicant laboratories not selected for the site visit will
undergo an audit, and instead be required to submit relative
policies and documentation. Details regarding the information
for this audit will be requested in a separate mailing from
the ICANL. Labs will have 45 days to submit the documentation,
which is then reviewed by the ICANL and contributes to the accreditation
decision.
Once
the in-house reviews are complete and applications are assigned
to application reviewers and site visitors, the completed applications
are boxed and shipped to reviewers who are located throughout
the United States and Canada. Over the next four to six weeks,
the applications undergo a detailed review of clinical components,
including the case studies, for adherence to the Standards,
and the laboratory is visited by an ICANL representative.
Upon
completion of each application's review, the comments and recommendations
are returned to the ICANL office, and the ICANL Technical Manager
enters the information from both reviewers and the site visitor
into the database. The data is then compiled and reviewed by
the IAC CEO and ICANL Technical Manager in preparation for discussion
and a final review by the ICANL Board Of Directors.
After
the Board of Directors meets and makes the accreditation decisions,
the Technical Manager notifies the laboratory in writing of
the Board decisions and any additional information required
to grant accreditation. These notification letters are given
priority and are sent in the timeliest manner possible. Two
copies of the correspondence are sent; an original to the Medical
Director, and a copy to the Technical Director. When accreditation
is granted, the certificates accompany the letter to the Technical
Director and are sent UPS Ground to allow the ability to track
delivery of the documents.
As
illustrated above, there are a number of avenues through which
an accreditation application must travel in order to complete
the cycle. The Board of Director's meetings are held within
the same months each quarter, but the dates vary based on the
availability of these volunteers. It should be reassuring to
laboratories that the process of reviewing applications and
determining accreditation decisions is thorough and lengthy
— a fitting complement to the time and effort put into their
initial preparation by those seeking accreditation.
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