Stamp of Approval

Accreditation is a powerful tool for distinguishing high-quality imaging programs from those that have not met the rigorous review requirements. For non-hospital-based imaging facilities billing under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, accreditation can also be a requirement. But accreditation is so much more than a mandate, says Patricia Wilson, director of accreditation at Asheville Radiology Associates in North Carolina. “Accreditation is an opportunity to be reviewed by your peers and ensure you’re working to the highest standard. It also shows patients and providers that quality of care is important to you,” she says.

Asheville Radiology, which provides services to hospitals, clinics, and imaging centers throughout western North Carolina, began its accreditation journey with the ACR in 1989. It started with mammography, and now, the team accredits every modality except for radiation oncology with the College. Wilson says that working with the ACR is an important component of their process. “The ACR is a college of our peers. We can expect the highest standards of review from them,” she says. “They are a partner in helping us provide quality patient services.”

Despite the benefits of accreditation, some programs may find the costs and effort required to complete the process daunting, Wilson notes. “There’s also a big fear of the unknown. Accreditation involves so many requirements that you may not expect. Practices may be afraid of making errors,” she adds.

To help ease some of that fear, Wilson, an accreditation veteran, shares her tried-and-true process that has served her and her practice well throughout the years:

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