Facilities Demonstrate a Commitment to Quality and Patient Safety through IAC Accreditation

By Tamara Sloper

For more than 30 years, IAC accreditation has provided facilities with a method for demonstrating their commitment to providing quality patient care. Facilities performing a variety of diagnostic testing and interventional procedures, across a wide range of settings from private offices, outpatient imaging centers to community hospitals and large medical systems have achieved and maintained IAC accreditation, ensuring they are providing patients with the high level, safe care they deserve.

When scheduling a diagnostic imaging test (vascular testing, adult or pediatric echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography-PET, magnetic resonance-MRI, computed tomography-CT, dental CT) or an intervention-based procedure (vascular interventional, carotid stenting, cardiac electrophysiology and/or cardiovascular catheterization), patients are encouraged to verify the accreditation status of a facility.

More than 14,000 private offices, clinics and departments within hospitals have achieved IAC accreditation. Patients and referring physicians looking for an IAC-accredited facility can search for one at intersocietal.org/iac-accredited-facility-locator.

Facilities that achieve IAC accreditation demonstrate a clear dedication to providing quality care and to continuously improving patient outcomes and safety. While completing the application, facilities are required to identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality improvement programs.

To earn IAC accreditation, facilities undergo a rigorous evaluation process and demonstrate compliance with high standards. The IAC Standards and application review process are steered by a diverse array of clinical experts representing more than 40 medical specialties and societies. Accreditation is granted to facilities found to be providing quality patient care.

To ensure ongoing quality, every three years IAC-accredited facilities are required to submit an updated application and undergo a subsequent thorough review of their operations, including current patient studies and the corresponding physician interpretations.
The IAC conducts random or required on-site visits or audits as part of the application review process or during the three-year period of accreditation. Use of the IAC Quality Improvement (QI) Self-Assessment Tool enables facilities to access a quantitative report that targets opportunities for improvements, leading to enhanced patient care.

These multi-faceted aspects of the IAC accreditation process can provide assurance that the facility in which patients are receiving care or referring physicians are sending their patients is making patient safety and quality care a priority.

IAC accreditation is the “Seal of Approval” patients can count on. IAC-accredited facilities often proudly display the Seal of Accreditation or their official certificate as an indicator that they are committed to providing the highest level of patient care.

Facilities cite common themes when asked why they continuously maintain IAC accreditation. The ability to document their ‘commitment to safe, high-quality patient care’ and the acknowledgment of their ‘dedication to providing specialized care that is safe and effective, to every patient,’ are just a few.

By maintaining IAC Echocardiography accreditation at Mary Rutan Hospital, it acknowledges our dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality care to every patient that enters our doors. At CarolinaEast Health System, we are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care to the patients we are privileged to serve. The IAC’s accreditation programs have provided a framework to assist us in fulfilling that commitment.

Our practice has taken great strides in maintaining accreditation to assure the quality of care we provide our patients is within certain levels of educational standards to perform high levels of service and specialized care that is safe and effective.

About IAC

The IAC is a nonprofit, nationally recognized accrediting organization. The IAC was founded by medical professionals to advance appropriate utilization, standardization and quality of diagnostic imaging and intervention-based procedures. The IAC programs for accreditation are dedicated to quality improvement and patient safety and all support one common company mission: Improving health care through accreditation®. Patients and referring physicians interested in learning more about IAC accreditation can find information at www.intersocietal.org/patients.

While required in some states/regions but varying by setting, many facilities earn accreditation on a voluntary basis as a method for improving their operations and to provide peace of mind to their patients that they have been reviewed by an outside panel of experts and found to be providing quality patient care.

Tamara Sloper, CMP, is the Director of Marketing / Communications at the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).