Breaking News: UnitedHealth Group To Require Lab Accreditation For Echocardiography, Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, PET, MR and CT By March 1, 2008
FREESTANDING FACILITIES AND PHYSICIAN OFFICES AFFECTED

In January, UnitedHealth Group (UnitedHealthcare released an official announcement requiring all participating, freestanding imaging facilities and physician offices performing Echocardiography, Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, PET, CT, CTA, MRI, and MRA procedures to obtain accreditation by March 1, 2008 as a condition for reimbursement. A letter and official press release were then sent by UnitedHealthcare to its member facilities, encouraging them to begin the application process for accreditation as soon as possible.

As a leading healthcare insurer working with patients and healthcare providers throughout the country, UnitedHealthcare firmly believes in supporting and promoting uniform national standards for quality and patient safety. In the letter to its member facilities, UnitedHealthcare discusses the reasoning behind the initiative. "Given the specialized physician experience and advanced technology required in these procedures, it is important that consumers receive services from facilities whose equipment, technologists, and physicians are in compliance with established accreditation performance standards for these procedures." Accordingly, UnitedHealthcare recognizes the value of the accreditation process, and has designated it as a means of achieving this goal.

The new initiative for providers of diagnostic imaging services was created and implemented by UnitedHealth Group. The collaborative efforts of both the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission and the American College of Radiology helped assist UnitedHealth Group in determining the specific guidelines for the new initiative. "Diagnostic imaging, when performed in high-quality and safe centers, is critical to optimal medical care outcomes," said Reed V. Tuckson, MD, UnitedHealth Group Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs, in the recent press release. "We recognize and respect the accreditation expertise of the ACR and the IAC, and we are convinced that our customers deserve to receive care from accredited facilities. As such, we take this opportunity to strongly encourage all UnitedHealthcare participating imaging physicians to immediately take the steps necessary to become accredited. It's the right thing to do."

At this time, UnitedHealth does not include noninvasive vascular procedures in its latest announcement; however, the eventual inclusion of vascular testing remains a distinct possibility. Following the trend of the other IAC organizations already affected by the initiative, the ICAVL stands ready, its staff fully committed to assist labs in earning their accreditation before it is required. "Through a consistent and objective process of evaluation, constructive criticism, feedback and re-evaluation, it is the IAC's intention that the quality of the imaging facilities accredited [noninvasive vascular, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT)] will be substantially enhanced and become more uniform," remarked Sandra L. Katanick, CEO of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. "We look forward to working with the UnitedHealthcare providers to help them earn accreditation and thus improve the quality of care they are providing."

Have questions about ICAVL Accreditation?

For help and information regarding the ICAVL accreditation process, laboratories are encouraged to visit the website at www.icavl.org, or contact ICAVL staff at 800-838-2110.

Have questions about UnitedHealthcare?

Laboratories seeking specific information about the UnitedHealthcare accreditation initiative should contact UnitedHealthcare toll free at 800-637-5792 or email radiology@customerelation.com.

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