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Now
more than ever, PET imaging facilities need to demonstrate a
commitment to quality. ICANL accreditation offers the
means necessary to demonstrate that commitment: to quality in
patient care, quality in imaging, quality in interpretation,
quality in reporting and, most of all, to the overall quality
of the PET facility.
Maintaining
high standards should be a goal of all nuclear medicine facilities.
The challenge comes in being able to demonstrate that level
of quality; not an easy task, yet one that may prove to be essential
in the future. Recent developments in the PET community suggest
that accreditation for PET is the solution increasingly pursued
by Medicare and third-party payers. Of particular note is the
recent decision from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
to require accreditation for PET scans. Effective 9/15/2004,
the CMS has expanded their coverage for PET (procedure code
G0336) to include PET scans for beneficiaries with either a
differential diagnosis of fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) or
Alzheimer's disease (AD). As part of their new policy, Medicare
states:
The
FDG-PET scan is performed in a facility that has all the accreditation
necessary to operate nuclear medicine equipment. The reading
of the scan should be done by an expert in nuclear medicine,
radiology, neurology, or psychiatry, with experience interpreting
such scans in the presence of dementia.
Some
third-party payers are also increasingly requiring accreditation
for PET reimbursement. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, of Pennsylvania,
recently unveiled its program to help ensure high-quality imaging
services. In its July announcement, Highmark stated that, effective
1/1/2005, all providers of diagnostic imaging services performed
outside a hospital setting would be required to adhere to new
privileging guidelines. Among these privileging guidelines are
the following specific to PET:
- PET
must be performed by hospitals or accredited
PET facilities;
- PET
facilities must employ technologists certified in Nuclear
Medicine through the ARRT or NMTCB, or licensed by the state
in nuclear medicine technology;
- Only
high performance full ring PET systems will be considered.
As
requirements for PET accreditation become the current trend
from state to state, the greater the need for labs to stay well-informed
and ahead of these changes.
Whether
you are adding PET to your Nuclear Medicine laboratory or utilizing
a mobile PET service, you will find value in accrediting your
PET laboratory with the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation
of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL). Accreditation for
PET has been a part of the ICANL accreditation process since
February 2000. In conjunction with the Academy of Molecular
Imaging, the American College of Cardiology, the Society of
Nuclear Medicine, the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Section, the Society of Nuclear Physicians and the American
Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the ICANL has developed and defined
standards for PET in the areas of oncology, neurology,
and cardiac imaging.
A
PET facility, whether freestanding or part of an established
laboratory, still must fulfill the same requirements of quality
as other nuclear medicine facilities accredited by the ICANL.
The Standards for PET accreditation are incorporated
within The Standards for Comprehensive Nuclear Medicine and
Nuclear Cardiology. The ICANL Standards outline
the minimal criteria for the structure (i.e., credentials, training
and experience of medical and technical staff, facilities and
equipment), process (i.e., protocols for radiation safety and
handling of radioisotopes, written protocols for imaging and
non-imaging procedures, protocols for quality assurance and
medical safety), and outcome (i.e., quality of images and imaging
reports, results of routine quality assurance) of any nuclear
medicine and PET facility. A free download of The ICANL Standards
for both Comprehensive Nuclear Medicine and Nuclear Cardiology
is available from the ICANL website at www.icanl.org/icanl/apply/standards.htm.
Several
of the ICANL's sponsoring organizations provide additional information
regarding general and cardiac PET guidelines, educational services,
and other helpful information for PET labs interested in accreditation.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), from their website at
www.snm.org,
offers the PET Learning Center and links to online continuing
education. Guidelines for cardiac PET can be downloaded from
the ASNC website, at www.asnc.org.
Links to all ICANL sponsoring organizations can be found at
www.icanl.org/icanl/community/sponsors.htm.
The
ICANL makes every attempt to keep the nuclear medicine community
abreast of the latest issues concerning the practice of nuclear
medicine. Facilities offering PET are strongly encouraged to
demonstrate their commitment to quality by taking the first
step toward accreditation. The ICANL staff looks forward to
working with you and your PET, General Nuclear Medicine and
Nuclear Cardiology facilities in fulfilling the criteria for
accreditation. For more information or to get started, please
feel free to contact Stefanie Margulies, Technical Manager,
or Randy Maier, Senior Application Specialist, at 410-872-0100
or toll free at 800-838-2110, or via email at margulies@intersocietal.org
or maier@intersocietal.org.
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