Today's health care organizations are held to very high levels of accountability -- by peers, by the general public, and by Medicare and other payers. ICAVL accreditation is a means by which noninvasive vascular laboratories can evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient care they provide.

Committed to balancing the changing needs of both the vascular community and the general public, the ICAVL was created in 1990 by uniting physicians, technologists and sonographers from the sponsoring organizations. The physicians, technologists and sonographers on the ICAVL Board Of Directors composed The Standards (formerly the Essentials and Standards), an extensive document defining the minimal requirements for vascular laboratories to provide high quality care. The Standards are used by laboratories as both a guideline and the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care goals.

ICAVL accreditation is an educational process, not a pass-fail exam.

The process begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation by laboratory staff. Completion of the application for accreditation requires information on all aspects of laboratory operation as well as the submission of actual case studies for review. After a laboratory submits the application to the ICAVL, the application undergoes a confidential peer-review by the ICAVL's trained reviewers, including physicians, technologists, and sonographers, before a final decision is made by the Board of Directors.

The ICAVL does not restrict accreditation to the "perfect" vascular laboratory.

Rather, accreditation is based on a policy of substantial compliance with The Standards. The ICAVL provides guidance to assist the laboratory in meeting the requirements of The Standards.