|
The IAC Standards
and Guidelines for Vein Center
Accreditation: Superficial Venous
Evaluation and Management |
Click here for a printer-friendly PDF of the Vein
Center Standards |
Introduction
The
Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) accredits facilities that provide
venous evaluation and management and/or treatment procedures. IAC accreditation
is a process by which vein centers can evaluate and demonstrate the level of
patient care they provide.
This
program is designed to accredit centers that perform evaluation and management
of venous disorders in order to ensure that the center meets benchmarks for
quality based on resources, training and outcomes. Medical knowledge for the
evaluation and management of venous disorders is required.
A vein center is defined as a center where venous
evaluation and management and/or treatment procedures are performed and is
composed of at a minimum, a qualified Medical Director (MD or DO) and
appropriate equipment to perform the procedures and utilizes venous duplex
ultrasound diagnostic testing in an IAC or American College of Radiology (ACR)
accredited facility. The center must meet the organizational requirements
defined in this document. Under the supervision of the qualified Medical
Director, there may be additional medical staff (MD or DO), Advanced Practice Providers
[Physician Assistant (PA), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Nurse Practitioner
(NP)], nurses, ultrasound technologist/sonographers and/or ancillary personnel.
All physicians, Advanced Practice
Providers and nurses who perform venous interventions in the facility
must be included in the application for accreditation as part of the medical
staff.
Vein center accreditation is available in superficial
venous evaluation and management. This area has a primary and secondary subset
of skills. Primary procedures are required for accreditation. Secondary
procedures may or may not be performed. If secondary procedures are not
performed there must be a policy in place for referral of those
procedures.
These accreditation Standards are the minimum standards
for accreditation of a superficial venous center, and represent the minimum
requirements to which an accredited facility is held accountable. 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.
Standards
that are highlighted are content changes that were made as part of the
October 1, 2020 revision. These Standards become effective October 1,
2020. Facilities applying for accreditation after October 1, 2020 must
comply with these new highlighted Standards.
Must have the capability to provide within
the vein center at least two of the four following procedures:
1. Sclerotherapy
2. Ambulatory phlebectomy/powered phlebectomy
3. Saphenous vein ablation
a.
may
include surgical, endovenous thermal, endovenous non-thermal and/or ultrasound-guided
chemical ablation
4.
Non-operative management of chronic venous insufficiency
with ulceration (CEAP Clinical classification C6)
a.
wound care including:
i.
debridement/bandaging and compression therapy
May have the capability to provide the
following procedures within the vein center in addition to primary
requirements, but do not qualify for accreditation if they are the only
procedures offered:
1. Stripping/ligation
2. Cutaneous LASER
3. Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy
4.
Perforating
vein ablation