Revisions 2005:
A Look At The Updated ICAVL Standards
from
the July 2005 issue
As
an accreditation organization, the ICAVL is expected to maintain
a program that balances the changing needs of both the vascular
ultrasound community and the general public by influencing the
quality of patient care provided. The ICAVL Standards
are the most important component of that commitment. Composed
by physicians and technologists from the ICAVL's twelve sponsoring
organizations, the Standards are intensely reviewed every
two years by the ICAVL Board of Directors and revised as needed.
The ICAVL is pleased to announce the release of the 2005
ICAVL Standards.
This
article will provide an overview of the key revisions made to
the 2005 ICAVL Standards. Upon opening these documents
online, you will find that the edits made in conjunction with
the release of this new version appear as highlighted text.
However, when the documents are printed, the highlights will
not appear in your permanent copy. For a minimal shipping and
handling fee, the ICAVL will send a printed copy of the Standards
to laboratories who have previously purchased the accreditation
materials, yet are unable to obtain the documents online.
Following
is a summary of the primary changes made within the 2005 ICAVL
Standards:
Summary Of Revisions To Organization Standards
- CME
equivalents are now recognized for any medical or technical
staff, including the medical and technical directors, who
have successfully acquired an appropriate credential in vascular
technology within the past three (3) years, or have joined
the laboratory, as a new employee, within one year prior to
the laboratory's application for accreditation.
- Section
3, Physical Facilities, now includes a statement that
all examinations must be performed in a setting providing
both patient and technical staff safety, comfort
and privacy. This is to recognize the importance of proper
equipment and laboratory design to avoid any situations that
may lead to repetitive stress injuries.
- The
final report must be typed. It will no longer be acceptable
to provide handwritten final reports.
- Any
incidental findings during the course of the vascular exam
must be reported.
- Clarification
regarding "timeliness" of reports is provided. The
interpretation must be available within two (2) working days
of the examination, unless awaiting additional clinical information.
Available interpretation can be in the form of paper, digital
storage or voice system.
- A
statement to assure compliance with HIPAA regulations is now
included: All laboratory personnel must ascribe to professional
principles of patient-physician confidentiality as legally
required by federal, state, local or institutional policy
or regulation.
- Formal
QA meetings are now required: A minimum of two vascular
laboratory quality assurance conferences per year should be
held to review the results of comparative studies, address
discrepancies and to discuss difficult cases and laboratory
issues.
- A
section relative to multiple sites and mobile services is
now included within the Standards. The requirements
for supervision of the laboratory sites by the Technical Director
have been clarified and expanded to include the following
options:
A)
The Technical Director works at each site two days each
month; OR
B)
Every technical staff member from each of the satellite
laboratories works at that main laboratory two days each
month; OR
C)
An appropriately credentialed lead technologist is appointed
at each satellite laboratory to report to the Technical
Director. The lead technologist:
a)
supervises and assists others in performing examinations
b)
oversees day-to-day activities in the satellite laboratory
c)
communicates weekly with the Technical Director to maintain
compliance with the testing standards.
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