Today's health care organizations are held to 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 imaging (MRI) facilities can evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient care they provide.
Committed to balancing the changing needs of both the MRI community and the general public, the ICAMRL was initially created in 1999 by uniting physicians, physicists and technologists from the sponsoring organizations, as well as representatives from the field of radiology, to provide MRI expertise. These physicians, physicists and technologists on the ICAMRL Board of Directors have established the ICAMRL Standards, an extensive document defining the minimal requirements for magnetic resonance facilities to provide high quality care. The Standards are used by facilities as both a guideline and the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care goals.
Accreditation is an educational process, not a pass-fail exam.
The process begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation by facility staff. Completion of the application for accreditation requires information on all aspects of facility 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 physicians, physicists and technologists, before a final decision is made by the Board of Directors.
The ICAMRL does not restrict accreditation to the "perfect" facility.
Rather, accreditation is based on a policy of substantial compliance with the Standards. No facility is ever denied accreditation outright. Instead, the ICAMRL provides guidance to assist the facility in meeting the requirements of the Standards. |
