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Today's
health care organizations are held to very high levels of accountability
— by peers, by the general public, and by Medicare and other
payers. ICAMRL accreditation is a means by which magnetic resonance
laboratories can evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient
care they provide.
Committed
to balancing the changing needs of both the magnetic resonance
community and the general public, the ICAMRL was initially created
in 1999 by uniting physicians and technologists from the sponsoring
organizations, as well as representatives from the field of
radiology, to provide whole body imaging expertise. These physicians
and technologists on the ICAMRL Board Of Directors have established The Standards, an extensive document defining the minimal
requirements for magnetic resonance facilities to provide high
quality care. The Standards are used by laboratories
as both a guideline and the foundation to create and achieve
realistic quality care goals.
ICAMRL
accreditation is an educational process, not a pass-fail exam.
The process begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation by laboratory
staff. Completion of the application for accreditation requires
information on all aspects of laboratory operation as well as
the submission of actual case studies for review. After the
laboratory submits the completed application to the ICAMRL,
the application undergoes a confidential peer-review by the
ICAMRL's trained reviewers, including both physicians and technologists,
before a final decision is made by the Board Of Directors.
The
ICAMRL does not restrict accreditation to the "perfect"
magnetic resonance laboratories.
Rather, accreditation is based on a policy of substantial compliance
with The Standards. No laboratory is ever denied accreditation
outright. Instead, the ICAMRL provides guidance to help the
laboratory in meeting the requirements of The Standards. |
