ICAVL Position Statement On Screening
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3/1/2005
- The mission of the ICAVL is to promote high quality noninvasive
vascular diagnostic examinations.
Noninvasive
tests are being promoted to screen for asymptomatic cardiovascular
disease, promote risk factor modification, and assure earlier
intervention to reduce future morbidity. The current opinion
of many specialists in vascular disease is that there are selected
groups of asymptomatic people who could benefit from screening.
Although
screening examinations may involve self-selected participants
and be performed in nontraditional settings, standards of vascular
testing similar to diagnostic examinations are nonetheless necessary
to ensure high quality patient care and to promote health. The
standards of vascular testing for diagnostic examinations are
well-established, and the mechanisms to assure the quality of
testing are provided through laboratory accreditation and personnel
certification.
All
noninvasive vascular studies, screening and diagnostic, must
be reliable and of high quality. To that end, the critical elements
of screening require:
- Appropriate
selection of participants. Screening guidelines must be based
upon contemporary scientific publications, and the use of
screening in low risk individuals has not been shown to be
scientifically valid. Screening cannot replace diagnostic
examinations for symptomatic individuals.
- Participant
education describing the nature of screening and significance
of normal and abnormal results.
- Appropriate
protocols for examination performance and interpretation.
- Trained
technical personnel that are certified or under the direct
supervision of certified personnel. All personnel, those performing
and those interpreting examinations, must have adequate experience
and relevant training.
- Well-maintained
equipment of sufficient operating condition and quality to
provide accurate results.
- High
quality examinations demonstrable through ongoing quality
assurance.
- Appropriate
reporting of results to the participant and their health care
provider.
- Compliance
with HIPAA and other relevant regulations.
Only
those entities or laboratories that can demonstrate compliance
with the above elements should be considered eligible to perform
screening tests.
AAA
Screening Bill Introduced
Bipartisan
group says Medicare should cover preventive care
courtesy
of SDMS Sound News
Volume 7, Issue 2 | February 2005
BREAKING NEWS - In an effort to address a serious health risk
for elderly Americans, Representatives John Shimkus (R-IL),
Gene Green (D-TX), and Ron Lewis (R-KY) have introduced the
Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently (SAAAVE)
Act (HR 827), an initiative that would direct Medicare to cover
abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. AAA is one of our
nation's most preventable but often neglected conditions taking
approximately 15,000 American lives a year.
For
a complete press release, visit www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ky02_lewis/SAAAVE.html.
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