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IAC Newsletter

As the ICANL accreditation process embarks on its eleventh year in operation, the significant increase in the number of laboratories participating in the process is a meter of the acceptance of this voluntary, peer-review process. To date, more than 2,100 sites are accredited by the ICANL and thousands of laboratories have begun the process by obtaining the accreditation materials. It is anticipated that these numbers will steadily increase as many new payment policies with links to accreditation and reimbursement are on the horizon. The ICANL strives to offer participating laboratories an efficient and truly beneficial process. Below is a summary of changes that will occur in the coming months in efforts to further enhance the process.

Paperless Submission

The ICANL is going green. In an effort to both streamline the accreditation process and preserve the environment, the ICANL Online Accreditation application process will become paperless with the October 1, 2009** application deadline. Applicant laboratories will be required to upload and submit all protocols and attachments (i.e.: board certificates, medical licenses, radioactive materials licenses, etc.) electronically. (Note: Case study materials must still be shipped to the ICANL office, in duplicate.)

The Online Accreditation application makes the uploading of electronic or scanned documents an easy process. Upon being prompted within the application for a specific document, the user simply clicks “browse”, selects the appropriate document from their computer and then clicks “open”. The document is then automatically uploaded to the correct location within the appli-
cation. The following file formats can be uploaded: .txt, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .tif, .tiff, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .pdf, .xls, .xlsx, and .zip. Documents with file extensions other than those listed above are not currently accepted. It is important to remember that the file size for each document must be less than 4 MB. This includes .zip files.

It may be necessary for laboratory staff to scan some hard copy documents (i.e.: board certificates) in order to upload them into the application. If the laboratory does not have a scanner, documents can be scanned at local business services stores (e.g.: FedEx Kinko’s Office, etc.) and saved to a memory stick or CD to later upload into the application. The ICANL will offer the service of scanning hard copy documents for uploading into the application. More information about this option, including the fee, will be available in the future.

As an added benefit, the Online Accreditation application will serve as a repository for all documentation related to the laboratory as all electronic files related to staff record keeping, equipment, etc. will be contained within one location.

Applications Will Now Be Accepted At Any Time Throughout the Year

In response to customers’ expressed needs, beginning April 1, 2009, laboratories may submit applications at any time via the Online Accreditation application. In the past, laboratories were required to submit applications by January 2nd, April 1st, July 1st or October 1st to meet the deadline.

The applications will undergo the same thorough review and site visit/audit process. However, the ICANL Board of Directors will now meet monthly as opposed to quarterly to review application findings and render accreditation decisions. This new process will reduce turnaround time, allowing applicant laboratories to receive their accreditation decisions in less than 16 weeks.

In order to be processed within the upcoming month, applicant laboratories will be required to click the submit button by the first of the month and case studies must be received in the ICANL office no later than the 5th of the month. Materials received after those dates will be processed with the next month’s deadline.

In addition, laboratories will now be given 30 days to complete and submit the audit materials to the ICANL, instead of the 45 days currently provided. It will be imperative for laboratories to begin reviewing and preparing the materials for the audit prior to application submission. The audit materials and requirements may be downloaded in advance from www.icanl.org/icanl/accreditation/additionalforms.htm. If the required audit materials are not received in the ICANL office within 30 days of notification, the laboratory’s application will be held until the next month.

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