New Standards Effective December 1, 2023
As an accreditation organization, IAC Echocardiography is committed to maintaining a program that balances the changing needs of both the echocardiography community and the general public by influencing the quality of patient care provided. The IAC Standards and Guidelines for Pediatric and Congenital Echocardiography Accreditation are the most important component of that commitment. Composed by physicians and sonographers from the IAC sponsoring organizations, the Standards are reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors and revised as needed.
As a component of the accreditation process, the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors preliminarily approved the proposed Standards which were recently posted to the IAC Echocardiography website for a 60-day public comment period.
Standards that are highlighted are content changes that were made as part of the June 1, 2023 revision. These Standards become effective on December 1, 2023. Facilities applying for accreditation after December 1, 2023 must comply with these new highlighted Standards.
Key Revisions to the Standards
Facilities accredited in pediatric echocardiography may provide services to patients of all ages with congenital heart disease. The name of the Standards has been changed, and language has been added throughout, to acknowledge that the facilities obtaining this type of accreditation have met the Standards to perform and interpret pediatric and congenital echocardiograms, regardless of the patient’s age. Pediatric facilities providing echocardiography services to adults with congenital heart disease are not expected to pursue accreditation in adult echocardiography and do not need to apply for the adult congenital transthoracic echocardiography add-on testing area accreditation.
Key modifications or additions are shown in the current Standards in highlighting and include:
- Medical Director CME Requirements (Applicable Standard 1.1.3.1A)
- Technical Director Required Training and Experience (Applicable Standard 1.2.1.1A)
- Technical Director CME Requirements (Applicable Standard 1.2.3.1A)
- Medical Staff CME Requirements (Applicable Standard 1.3.3.1A)
- Technical Staff Required Training and Experience (Applicable Standard 1.4.1.1A)
- Technical Staff CME Requirements (Applicable Standard 1.4.3.1A)
- Examination and Interpretation Areas (Applicable Standards 2.1.1.4A, 2.1.1.5A)
- Records (Applicable Standards 3.1A, 3.1.3A)
- Examination Interpretation and Reports (Applicable Standard 3.3.1.3A)
- Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiogram Report Components (Applicable Standards 3.4.1A, 3.4.1.1A, 3.4.1.2A)
- Pediatric Transesophageal Echocardiogram Report Components (Applicable Standards 3.5.1A, 3.5.1.1A)
- Fetal Echocardiogram Report Components (Applicable Standards 3.6.1.3A, 3.6.1.5A)
- Patient and Facility Safety (Applicable Standards 4.1.2A, 4.1.6A)
- Multiple Site (Applicable Standards 6.1.5A)
- Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiography Testing – Instrumentation (Applicable Standard 1.1.1.5B)
- Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiography Testing – Techniques (Applicable Standard 1.5.2.1B)
- Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiography Testing – Components of the Transthoracic Echocardiogram (Applicable Standards 1.6.1.4B, 1.6.1.5B)
- Pediatric Transesophageal Echocardiography Testing – Instrumentation (Applicable Standard 2.2.4B)
- Pediatric Transesophageal Echocardiography Testing – Indications, Ordering Process and Scheduling (Applicable Standard 2.5.3B)
- Pediatric Transesophageal Echocardiography Testing – Components of Transesophageal Echocardiograms (Applicable Standards 2.8.3B, 2.8.4B, 2.8.5B, 2.8.7B)
- Fetal Echocardiography Testing – Indications, Ordering Process and Scheduling (Applicable Standard 3.5.3B)
- Fetal Echocardiography Testing – Components of the Fetal Echocardiogram (Applicable Standard 3.7.4B)
Questions regarding the Standards may be directed to the IAC Echocardiography Team at echo@intersocietal.org.