IAC Report

Tamara A. Sloper

Identifying research as a core strategy toward furthering its mission of Improving Health Care Through Accreditation^®, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) began efforts to support innovative and meritorious research programs relevant to facility accreditation in 2012.

As part of that initiative, the IAC launched a major research effort into all aspects of accreditation with the expressed purpose of critically evaluating and improving the process with the establishment of the IAC research committee. A standing committee, the IAC research committee consists of a research officer and representation from each IAC division. Currently representing IAC Nuclear/PET is Scott D. Jerome, DO, FACC, FASNC.

“The IAC has an extensive database which can provide insights into the accreditation process as well as the procedures involved. In concert with the committee’s mission, we have defined a plan for the performance and evaluation of accreditation that will benefit both accreditation and imaging. We hope to encourage research using the rich databases of all IAC divisions and their repository of valued data,” remarked Gary V. Heller, MD, PhD, IAC research officer, past president of the IAC and of the IAC Nuclear/PET division.

Each year, the IAC puts forth a call for proposals, awarding grants for one year. The application process involves a letter of intent and, if accepted, a full proposal. Participation is open to IAC sponsoring organizations along with their members, as well as other innovative individuals and institutions.

Tamara A. Sloper

Since 2012, the results of these research efforts have begun appearing in published, peer-reviewed journals, including the following abstracts relevant to the field of nuclear medicine:

Survey of Radiopharmaceutical Dosing Strategies for Bone and PET Scans; A. Alessio, F. Fahey, and M.B. Farrell; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Med. 2013;54:94).
Correlates Between Camera Age, Patient Volume and Laboratory Accreditation: A Snapshot of Equipment Utilization in the Practice of Nuclear Cardiology in US; H. Patil, M. Abdallah, and T. Bateman; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Med. 2014;54:516).
Differences Between Nuclear Cardiology Labs Applying for Voluntary Versus Obligatory Accreditation: An Analysis Derived from the IAC Nuclear/PET Electronic Database; M.S. Abdallah, H.R. Patil, and T.M. Bateman; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Cardiol. 2013;20:664).
Camera Age, Physician Readers, and Patient Volumes Among Accredited Imaging Labs: A Correlative Analysis Derived from the IAC Nuclear/PET Electronic Database; H.R. Patil, M.S. Abdullah, and T.M. Bateman; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Cardiol. 2013;20:662).
How Do Nuclear and PET Facilities Perceive the Accreditation Process: Results of an Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Survey; T. Godiwala, M.B. Farrell, L.I. Bezold, J.Y. Choi, K. Cockroft, H. Gornik, G.V. Heller, S.L. Katanick, W.J. Manning, and S. Jerome; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Cardiol. 2013;20:685).
Nuclear Facility Perception of Site Accreditation. Results of an Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Survey; M.B. Farrell, L.I. Bezold, J.Y. Choi, K.M. Cockroft, H.L. Gornik, S. Jerome, S.L. Katanick, W.J. Manning, G.V. Heller; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Med. 2014;55:2501).
Geographic Variation in Administered Radiation Dose for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; S. Jerome, M.B. Farrell, L. Shaw, and P. Tilkemeier; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Nucl Med. 2014;55:1735).
Radiation Dosimetry for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Protocols in Current Practice: Mechanisms to Meet Exposure Limits; S. Jerome, M.B. Farrell, T. Godiwala, L. Shaw, P. Tilkemeier; IAC, Ellicott City, Maryland (J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63:14-A-8974-ACC).

Details about the current grant submission process and news of IAC research efforts are published online (intersocietal.org/research).

It is the IAC’s intention that through further research linking accreditation, outcomes, and value, along with ongoing feedback from stakeholders, the process will continue to evolve and meet the medical community’s needs.