The Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) now requires that providers of MRI, CT, PET and Nuclear Medicine services (that bill under part B of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule) be accredited by January 2012 in order to receive Medicare reimbursement for the technical component of each study. Currently, the CMS/MIPPA mandates apply to private outpatient facilities only, not to hospitals. CMS has designated the American College of Radiology (ACR) as well as The Intersocietal  Accreditation Commission (IAC) as accrediting bodies.

The accreditation process can be a long and confusing one for first time applicants. From application to annual testing, we are available as a resource for any and all questions or concerns you may have about obtaining or maintaining certification.
Mammography and ACR Accreditation

The American College of Radiology’s history of developing and administering accreditation programs that assess the quality of imaging facilities dates back to 1963. In 1987, the ACR introduced the Mammography Accreditation Program. This program attracted widespread, voluntary participation from facilities wanting to be recognized for performing quality mammography. In 1992, the federal government mandated that all mammography facilities be accredited.All facilities providing mammography services must be certified by the FDA under the MQSA. To be certified, a facility must be accredited. The FDA has designated the ACR as an accrediting body.

Based on the success of the ACR mammography accreditation program and the wide variation observed both in image services and in the quality provided by health care facilities, the ACR developed other, modality-specific accreditation programs. These programs include Radiation Oncology (1987), Ultrasound (1995), Stereotactic Breast Biopsy (1996), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (1996), Breast Ultrasound (1998), Nuclear Medicine (1999), Computed Tomography (2002) and Radiography/Fluoroscopy (2002). The purpose of the accreditation programs is to set quality standards for practices and help them continuously improve upon the quality of care they give to their patients. Designed to be educational in nature, the ACR Accreditation Programs evaluate qualifications of personnel, equipment performance, effectiveness of quality control measures, and quality of clinical images. These may be considered the primary factors that affect the quality of clinical images and ultimately the quality of patient care.

Facilities seeking accreditation in modalities other than mammography may do so voluntarily at this time. A few reasons for considering accreditation of other modalities include:

  • Peer review, educationally-focused evaluation of practice
  • May document need for dedicated equipment, continuing education or qualified personnel
  • Expert assessment of image quality
  • Formal review may be used to meet criteria of ACS, state or federal government, or third-party payers
  • Medicare and other payers have enacted reimbursement policies that may require accreditation
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Please call 404.915.9679 or email info@SPAphysics.com for more information on our accreditation testing services.