The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) requires the Secretary to designate organizations to accredit suppliers, including but not limited to physicians, non-physician practitioners, and Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities, that furnish the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging services. Advanced diagnostic imaging services include diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine imaging.
Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the following three national accreditation organization to provide the accreditation services for suppliers of the TC of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures: (1) the American College of Radiology; (2) the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission; and (3) the Joint Commission.
The accreditation organizations will assess the overall quality of a practice, including but not limited to, its personnel, equipment, quality assurance activities, and the quality of patient care. In addition, each accreditation organization has quality standards that focus on but are not limited to the qualifications of medical personnel and medical directors, performance specifications for imaging equipment, and quality assurance and control programs to ensure the safety, reliability, clarity, and accuracy of diagnostic imaging.
For more information on how the new accreditation standards will impact providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services, please contact Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. at (248) 996-8510, visit the Diagnostic Imaging Arrangements specialty page, or the HLP Website.