The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 requires providers who wish to continue providing advanced imaging services to Medicare patients to obtain accreditation from one of three national organizations by January 1, 2012.
The three accrediting bodies recently designated by CMS are the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), and The Joint Commission (TJC).
The accreditation requirement applies to the technical component of MRI, CT and nuclear medicine paid for under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule; it does not apply to a provider’s interpretation of the images.
Factors to be covered in the accreditation process include qualifications of physicians and non-physician personnel, safety procedures and accuracy of interpretation.
