1. Who needs to be accredited?
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) calls for all
providers of CT, MRI, breast MRI, nuclear medicine, and PET exams that bill under Part B
of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to be accredited by Jan. 1, 2012, in order to
receive payment for the technical component of these services. Currently, the CMS/
MIPPA mandates apply to private outpatient facilities only, NOT to hospitals.
2. What are the basic areas of CMS requirements?
• Personnel qualifications for non-physician medical staff, medical directors, and
supervising physicians
• Image Quality
• Equipment performance
• Safety standards for staff and patients
• Quality assurance and quality control
3. What if we’re already accredited?
Make sure you renew on a timely basis. And, even if your facility has received
accreditation in CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and/or PET, there are additional newly
mandated requirements for CMS reimbursements after Jan. 1, 2012. Your facility must
be compliant with these requirements by the deadline:
• Verification of personnel qualifications with primary source verification
• Policy on patient record retention/retrieval
• Policy on consumer complaints
• Posted notice for patients listing consumer complaint contact information
• Policy on staff and patient safety
• Unannounced site visits from CMS or ACR
• ACR must share accreditation information with CMS
• No “under review” or “provisional” accreditation status
• False or misleading information provided to an accreditation body to achieve
accreditation can be used to initiate a federal fraud investigation
4. What happens if we miss the deadline?
Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, reimbursements will only be made if provider is fully accredited
by one of the three CMS-designated accreditation organizations (AOs): The American
College of Radiology (ACR), Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and The Joint
Commission. There is no “under review” or “provisional” accreditation. You will not
receive Medicare reimbursements until you achieve full accreditation.
5. Are all three AOs offering the same CMS-mandated accreditation process?
No. CMS did not establish a standard process for accreditation. The pricing,
accreditation application, and review process differs among the three AOs. The ACR
process is a peer-reviewed, educationally focused, clinical and phantom image review
for the highest level of image quality and patient safety – a clear differentiator for your
practice and for its continuous quality improvement.
6. How long does the accreditation process take?
Accreditation can take as long as 12 months or more, depending on the AO. ACR
accreditation is available within 90 days of image submission. And, ACR does not require
pre-accreditation site surveys.
7. How do we get started?
• Visit acr.org to learn more and to access the online application (no fee to access)
• Carefully follow instructions to select the appropriate modality option
• Designate one person in you facility to organize and submit all materials
• Ensure clinical images submitted for review are approved by a physician
8. What if we receive a deficiency?
You will have a dedicated ACR support team to call to discuss your options if you receive
a deficiency. And, you can contact ACR if you have any questions throughout the
accreditation process.
9. Why choose ACR for accreditation?
• For quality and safety assurance
• ACR accreditation is the gold standard in medical imaging
• ACR offers a peer-reviewed assessment of clinical and phantom images
• Highly trained experts in advanced diagnostic imaging oversee our process
• We have a dedicated staff of experts to guide you from start to finish
10. Avoid the 2012 rush!
Apply for accreditation today. Contact ACR for details
Visit acr.org to learn more and to access the online application (no fee to access)
Carefully follow instructions to select the appropriate modality option
Designate one person in you facility to organize and submit all materials
Ensure clinical images submitted for review are approved by a physician
For quality and safety assurance
ACR accreditation is the gold standard in medical imaging
ACR offers a peer-reviewed assessment of clinical and phantom images
Highly trained experts in advanced diagnostic imaging oversee our process
We have a dedicated staff of experts to guide you from start to finish
