The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has named the national accrediting organizations charged with oversight of physician and nonphysician organizations that provide computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and nuclear medicine exams under the technical component of the Medicare Fee Schedule.
The American College of Radiology (ACR), the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), and the Joint Commission will furnish accreditation services and report back to the CMS on their survey processes.
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) requires that all suppliers of advanced imaging become accredited by Jan. 1, 2012.
“The three organizations that will be accrediting suppliers have the expertise and authority to set a standard of excellence industry-wide,” Dr. Barry Straube, chief medical officer of the CMS, said in a statement announcing the selection of the accrediting bodies.
The groups will be responsible for judging and verifying the qualifications of nonphysician personnel who perform the imaging as well as the qualifications of medical directors and supervising physicians; checking safety procedures; verifying procedures to ensure reliability, clarity, and accuracy of imaging; and checking procedures to help patients obtain imaging studies upon request.
Providers of x-rays, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy will not be subject to the accreditation process.
The American College of Cardiology will be working with members to make sure they understand the accreditation requirements, said an ACC spokesperson. The professional society is working closely with the IAC, but cardiologists are free to choose any of the three accrediting organizations, she said.
Rheumatologist Norman B. Gaylis applauded the required certification of other imaging used in the office setting. “This action is not punitive. It is intended to achieve quality,” said Dr. Gaylis, Aventura, Fla., who is in president and a founding member of the International Society of Extremity MRI in Rheumatology.
The certification process may increase payers' willingness to reimburse for office-based imaging. Furthermore, it gives patients the assurance that the staff and equipment have met accrediting standards, he added.
Office-based MRI has been exempt from certification requirements. However, that will end in January 2012, when all physician offices that use MRI will have to be accredited to do so.