It demonstrates a commitment
to quality care.
The purpose of the Intersocietal Commission
for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL)
is "to ensure high quality patient care and to promote
health care by providing a mechanism to encourage and recognize
the provision of quality nuclear cardiology and nuclear medicine
diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation."
Through the accreditation process, laboratories assess every
aspect of daily operation and its impact on the quality of health
care provided to patients. While completing the accreditation
application, laboratories often identify and correct potential
problems, revising protocols and validating quality assurance
programs. Because accreditation is renewed every three years,
a long-term commitment to quality and self-assessment is developed
and maintained. Laboratories may use ICANL accreditation as
the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care
goals.
It provides a confidential peer-review.
Designed to serve laboratories as an educational
tool, ICANL accreditation is made up of two crucial steps. First,
laboratories conduct a detailed self-evaluation using the Standards and the application. Completion of the application
requires detailed information on all aspects of laboratory operation
as well as the submission of actual case studies for review.
The case studies are crucial in determining the laboratory's
compliance with the Standards, and are the basis for
judgment of the quality of work that laboratories perform. Once
the self-evaluation is completed, the documents and case studies
are reviewed by the ICANL Board of Directors. All aspects of
the review are confidential.
It's a recruiting tool.
Accredited laboratories can use their accreditation
as a recruiting tool to attract the best and brightest physicians
and technologists. Talented professionals look for high-quality
programs and accreditation assures potential employees that
a laboratory is dedicated to achieving the highest standards
for patient care.
It's intersocietal.
The ICANL is a nonprofit organization established
with the support of the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI),
the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American
College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM), the American Society
of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), the Society of Nuclear
Medicine (SNM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Section. Representatives from these sponsoring organizations,
including both physicians and technologists, serve on the ICANL
Board of Directors. All areas of nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology
and PET were represented during the creation of the Standards
for accreditation and all areas continue to steer the accreditation
process.
It's proven successful.
The ICANL was created using the Intersocietal
Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL)
as a model. The ICAVL, in its second decade offering accreditation,
has accredited more than 1600 vascular laboratories, and Medicare
reimbursement for vascular laboratories in a majority of states
hinges on either laboratory accreditation or technologist certification.
There are similar payment policies requiring ICANL accreditation, as detailed
below. Both the ICANL and ICAVL, along
with the Intersocietal
Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories
(ICAEL), the Intersocietal
Commission for the Accreditation of Magnetic Resonance Laboratories
(ICAMRL), and the Intersocietal
Commission for the Accreditation of Computed Tomography Laboratories
(ICACTL), are members of the Intersocietal
Accreditation Commission (IAC).
It demonstrates accountability.
Health-care organizations are held to very high levels of accountability,
by peers and by the general public. In numerous states, reimbursement
directives that require accreditation of the laboratory have
been instituted (please visit www.icanl.org/icanl/reimbursement/policies.htm
for the current list). Similar draft payment policies are pending
throughout the United States. Laboratories attaining accreditation
before it is required for reimbursement demonstrate a willingness
to surpass current expectations. The general public and members
of the nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology and PET communities
will recognize an unmatched commitment to providing quality
health care by laboratories that achieve ICANL accreditation.
|
