There are two primary MRI accrediting bodies – the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Magnetic Resonance Laboratories (ICAMRL).
Both primary accreditation programs feature credentialing requirements for medical staff, clinical image quality requirements, equipment performance standards, and quality control measures. When a facility passes MRI accreditation, the site is awarded a three-year certification.
You should also consult ACR and ICAMRL directly to determine which accreditation program is best for your facility, and for the most up-to-date information on the programs (see ACR and ICAMRL contact information on flip side).
Why Accreditation is Important to You
Many insurance companies, Radiology Benefits Management (RBM) companies, and several states have made reimbursement or a portion of reimbursement for MRI contingent on a facility’s accreditation. Further, the U.S. government’s Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) includes provisions mandating accreditation for reimbursement of MR, CT, PET, and nuclear medicine providers by 2012.
How Hitachi Supports your Accreditation Effort
While we cannot guarantee success with accreditation, we do provide a range of accreditation support benefits at no additional charge in our warranty and UltraPlus Customer Support Programs. These key benefits will ensure the best possible performance of Hitachi MRI equipment, and will help you put together the best possible submission. The key benefits are:
- Hitachi Field Service will assist you in preparing collection of data to satisfy the technical equipment performance criteria of either ACR or ICAMRL according to the terms of your warranty or applicable service maintainance agreement. Hitachi Field Service will collect system performance data using phantoms as required by the accrediting body and provide a copy to you for submission. Alternatively, if you require a 3rd party specialist collect performance data with a special phantom, Hitachi Field Service will assist the 3rd party specialist as necessary – again, according to the terms of your warranty or applicable service maintainance agreement.
- Hitachi Applications specialists are available for consultation and advice on accreditation programs every day. You have ongoing access to personnel with years of experience with MRI Accreditation programs and Hitachi products.
- Hitachi Applications will provide an Accreditation guidebook. This Hitachi developed guidebook includes information on: the ACR and ICAMRL accreditation processes, clinical and technical (phantom) image collection, and implementation of QC measures. Please contact Hitachi if you have not received a guidebook.
- Hitachi Applications will review your submission images up to two times prior to submission for basic image quality and adherence to parameter guidelines. This is extremely valuable to you as a large portion of submissions fail only due to improper scan parameters – in-plane resolution and slice thickness in particular.
Important Contact Information
Hitachi Clinical Applications
800-622-4672
Intersocietal Commission For The Accreditation Of Magnetic Resonance Laboratories (ICAMRL)
8830 Stanford Blvd.
Suite 306
Columbia, Maryland 21045
800 838 2110
http://www.icamrl.org/
American College of Radiology Headquarters Office
1891 Preston White Dr.
Reston, VA 20191
800 227 5463
http://www.acr.org
