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Practice Accreditation
Continuing quality assurance is an integral part of the present-day practice of medicine. The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), Nuclear/PET | ICANL (formerly the ICANL) offers accreditation as an increasingly renowned method for Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology and PET facilities to evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient care they provide. IAC Nuclear/PET was created by uniting physicians and technologists from its sponsoring organizations, which today include the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI), American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM), American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Technologist Section (SNMMI-TS). Committed to balancing the changing needs of the nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology and PET communities with those of the general public, the first Board of Directors convened in 1997 and worked together to establish the IAC Standards for Nuclear/PET Accreditation. Serving as the basis for the accreditation program, the Standards are the extensive document defining the minimal requirements for Nuclear/PET facilities to provide quality patient care. Facilities are encouraged to use the Standards as both a guideline and the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care goals.
The IAC accreditation process begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation by facility staff. Completion of the application requires detailed information on all aspects of facility operation as well as the submission of actual case studies for review. The case studies are crucial in determining the facility’s compliance with the Standards, and are the basis for judgment of the quality of work that facilities perform. While completing the application, facilities are required to identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality assurance programs. The completed application then undergoes a confidential peer-review by trained application reviewers, specially selected physicians and credentialed technologists who are employed in accredited facilities. The final decision is then made by the Board of Directors. Because IAC accreditation is renewed every three years, a long term commitment to quality care and self-assessment is developed and maintained.
The IAC Nuclear/PET is a member division of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). IAC provides facility accreditation programs for Vascular Testing, Echocardiography, Nuclear/PET, MRI, CT/Dental and Carotid Stenting. The IAC programs for accreditation are dedicated to ensuring quality patient care and promoting health care within a specific medical specialty, dedicated to one common mission: improving health care through accreditation.