|
The IAC Standards and Guidelines |
Click here for a printer-friendly PDF of the Nuclear/PET
Standards |
The
Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) accredits imaging facilities
specific to Nuclear Cardiology, General Nuclear Medicine and PET. IAC
accreditation is a means by which facilities can evaluate and demonstrate the
level of patient care they provide.
A Nuclear Cardiology, Nuclear Medicine and/or PET facility consists
of at least one nuclear imaging camera, a qualified physician and a Nuclear
Medicine technologist. Each facility must have a Medical Director and Technical
Director. It may be a single site, a conglomerate of sites, a facility
utilizing the services of a mobile company or a combination of the above,
meeting the organizational structures defined in this document. There may be
additional physicians, Nuclear Medicine technologists, and other professional
and/or technical personnel. When more than one technical member is employed, a
Technical Director (e.g., chief technologist) is responsible for supervision of
the technical staff.
The
intent of the accreditation process is two-fold. It is designed to recognize
facilities that provide quality Nuclear/PET services. It is also designed to be
used as an educational tool to improve the overall quality of the facility.
The following are
the specific areas of Nuclear Cardiology for which accreditation may be
obtained:
·
myocardial
perfusion imaging
·
equilibrium
radionuclide angiography
·
other
cardiovascular imaging (e.g., first-pass radionuclide angiography)
·
cardiac
positron emission tomography (PET)
The following are
the specific areas of Nuclear Medicine for which accreditation may be obtained:
·
gastrointestinal
system imaging
·
central
nervous system imaging
·
endocrine
system imaging
·
endocrine
system non-imaging
(e.g., radioiodine uptake)
·
musculoskeletal
system imaging
·
genitourinary
system imaging
·
pulmonary
system imaging
·
infection
imaging
·
tumor
imaging
·
hematopoietic,
reticuloendothelial and lymphatic imaging
·
myocardial
perfusion imaging
·
equilibrium
radionuclide angiography
·
other
cardiovascular imaging (e.g., first-pass radionuclide angiography)
·
nuclear
medicine therapy
·
other
non-imaging (e.g., in vitro studies)
The following are
the specific areas of PET for which accreditation may be obtained:
·
oncologic
imaging
·
neurologic
imaging
·
cardiac
imaging
·
other
PET imaging
These
accreditation Standards and Guidelines are the minimum standards for
accreditation of Nuclear/PET facilities. Standards are the minimum requirements
to which an accredited facility is held accountable. Guidelines are descriptions,
examples or recommendations that elaborate on the Standards. Guidelines are not required, but can assist
with interpretation of the Standards.
Standards
are printed in regular typeface in outline form. Guidelines are printed in italic typeface in narrative form.
Standards that are
highlighted are content changes that were made as part of the August 1, 2021 revision. These Standards will become effective on Februrary 1, 2022.
Facilities applying for accreditation after February 1, 2022 revision must comply
with these new highlighted Standards.
In
addition to all Standards listed below, the facility, including all staff, must
comply at all times with all federal, state and local laws and regulations,
including but not limited to laws relating to licensed scope of practice,
facility operations and billing requirements.