IAC accredited facilities are committed to providing safe, quality care

This Content is Brought to you in Partnership with: Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)

By Tamara Sloper

Now more than ever, patients are seeking evidence of quality and safety in their health care settings.

The ongoing pandemic has heightened awareness amongst patients as they seek to ensure that they are receiving medical care in facilities that are following established safety protocols and procedures. Facilities that have earned accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) demonstrate a commitment to quality and safety to referring physicians and their patients.

When scheduling a diagnostic imaging test (vascular testing, adult or pediatric echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography-PET, magnetic resonance-MRI, computed tomography-CT, dental CT) or an interventional procedure (vein center, carotid stenting, cardiac electrophysiology and/or cardiovascular catheterization), patients are encouraged to verify the accreditation status of a facility.

More than 14,000 private offices, clinics and departments within hospitals have achieved IAC accreditation. Patients and referring physicians looking for an IAC-accredited facility can search for one at intersocietal.org/iac-accredited-facility-locator.

Facilities that achieve IAC accreditation demonstrate a clear dedication to providing quality care and to continuously improving patient outcomes and safety. While completing the application, facilities are required to identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality improvement programs.

To earn IAC accreditation, facilities undergo a rigorous evaluation process and demonstrate compliance with high standards. The IAC Standards and application review process are steered by a diverse array of clinical experts representing more than 40 medical specialties and societies. Accreditation is granted to facilities found to be providing quality patient care.

To ensure ongoing quality, every three years IAC-accredited facilities are required to submit an updated application and undergo a subsequent thorough review of their operations, including current patient studies and the corresponding physician interpretations.

The IAC conducts random or required on-site visits or audits as part of the application review process or during the three-year period of accreditation. Use of the IAC Quality Improvement (QI) Self-Assessment Tool enables facilities to access a quantitative report that targets opportunities for improvements, leading to enhanced patient care.

These multi-faceted aspects of the IAC accreditation process can provide assurance that the facility in which patients are receiving care or referring physicians are sending their patients is making patient safety and quality care a priority.

IAC accreditation is the “Seal of Approval” patients can count on. IAC-accredited facilities often proudly display the Seal of Accreditation or their official certificate as an indicator that they are committed to providing the highest level of patient care.

Representing the Voice of Accreditation’s Ultimate Stakeholder

In 2022, IAC appointed Rosemary Gibson to its Board of Directors as its first public member. A nationally esteemed champion for patient rights, Ms. Gibson’s charge is to advocate on behalf of the patient in the accreditation process, offering an outside perspective to represent the voice of accreditation’s ultimate stakeholder, the patient.

“In my new role as public member, I look forward to bringing expertise to the board and staff to deepen the patient perspective and highlight how IAC-accredited facilities work to improve the quality of care patients receive,” Gibson said.

About IAC

The IAC is a nonprofit, nationally recognized accrediting organization. The IAC was founded by medical professionals to advance appropriate utilization, standardization and quality of diagnostic imaging and intervention-based procedures. The IAC programs for accreditation are dedicated to quality improvement and patient safety and all support one common company mission: Improving health care through accreditation®. Patients and referring physicians interested in learning more about IAC accreditation can find information at www.intersocietal.org/patients.

While required in some states/regions but varying by setting, many facilities earn accreditation on a voluntary basis as a method for improving their operations and to provide peace of mind to their patients that they have been reviewed by an outside panel of experts and found to be providing quality patient care.

Tamara Sloper, CMP, is the Director of Marketing / Communications at the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)