Honoring Facilities’ Commitment to Quality and Safe Cardiovascular Care
By Tamara Sloper
IAC accreditation provides facilities with a method for demonstrating their commitment to providing quality patient care for diagnostic testing, interventional and therapeutic procedures. Across a wide range of settings from private offices and outpatient imaging centers to community hospitals and large medical systems, facilities achieve and maintain IAC accreditation to ensure that they are providing the high quality, safe care their patients deserve.
As reimbursement requirements vary by geographic location and setting, a substantial segment of IAC-accredited facilities participate in the process on a voluntary basis. Of the approximately 14,000 facilities that have achieved IAC accreditation, a significant percentage are accredited in cardiovascular-related diagnostic imaging and interventional procedures.
In recognition of American Heart Month, IAC is running a campaign through mid-March, encouraging facilities to demonstrate their commitment to quality and safety through the pursuit of additional accreditations across the spectrum of cardiovascular diagnostic imaging and interventional procedures.
Accurate performance and interpretation of cardiovascular imaging (i.e., echocardiography, nuclear/PET, vascular testing, MRI and CT) requires specialized training and experience from technologists and interpreting physicians, as well as standardized adherence to protocols and procedures.
Facilities performing quality cardiovascular interventional procedures (i.e., carotid stenting, vascular interventional, cardiovascular catheterization and cardiac electrophysiology) meet or exceed benchmarks for quality based on resources, training and outcomes.
As American Heart Month raises awareness about the risks of heart disease and the importance of identifying and managing heart-related health conditions, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the role of IAC accredited facilities as they demonstrate their ongoing commitment to quality patient care, a reminder of the importance of putting patients first.
Recently recognized through a milestone award program, facilities shared why they continue to uphold a strong commitment to quality patient care and safety through IAC accreditation:
“Our cardiovascular lab has been accredited for over 20 years, and we are proud of this accomplishment. Our lab has met or exceeded all applicable standards for providing quality cardiovascular care. We believe that this accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest level of patient care. We display our plaque in our patient waiting area so that our patients can see that we are accredited and committed to providing them with the highest quality of care.”
Darlene Weathers, LPN, RCS, RVS
MUSC Health Primary Care Haile Street | Camden, SC
IAC Vascular Testing Accredited Since 2000
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“The accreditation in Echocardiography acknowledges that the echocardiograms performed at Boston Children’s Hospital meets the necessary requirements to provide the best possible care to our patients.”
Matthew Boudreau, RDCS
Boston Children’s Hospital | Boston, MA
IAC Echocardiography Accredited Since 1999
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“Summa Health has been proudly accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Nuclear Cardiology for two decades, reaffirming our steadfast commitment to delivering exceptional cardiology care to the Akron community. This endorsement testifies to our unwavering dedication to meeting and exceeding rigorous national standards, ensuring that our patients receive top-notch care.”
Dawn McDaniel, RT(N), CNMT
Summa Health | Akron, OH
IAC Nuclear/PET Accredited Since 2004
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“IAC accreditation ensures that we are providing high quality, appropriate, and patient focused nuclear cardiology services to our patients in Maine. We strongly believe that every patient deserves the best every time and we strive to provide the level of care that the IAC requires.”
Angela Higgins, MD
MaineHealth Cardiology | Scarborough, ME
IAC Nuclear/PET Accredited Since 2004
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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. When scheduling a diagnostic imaging test or an interventional or therapeutic procedure, patients are encouraged to verify the accreditation status of a facility. Patients and referring physicians can find IAC-accredited facilities at intersocietal.org/iac-accredited-facility-locator.
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.
Tamara Sloper, CMP, is the Director of Marketing / Communications at the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).