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Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Accreditation Status of Outpatient Cerebrovascular Testing Facilities Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Author(s) -
Brown Scott C.,
Wang Kefeng,
Dong Chuanhui,
Farrell Mary Beth,
Heller Gary V.,
Gornik Heather L.,
Hutchisson Marge,
Needleman Laurence,
Benenati James F.,
Jaff Michael R.,
Meier George H.,
Perese Susana,
Bendick Phillip,
Hamburg Naomi M.,
Lohr Joann M.,
LaPerna Lucy,
Leers Steven A.,
Lilly Michael P.,
Tegeler Charles,
Katanick Sandra L.,
Alexandrov Andrei V.,
Siddiqui Adnan H.,
Rundek Tatjana
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/ultra.15.08021
Subject(s) - accreditation , medicine , certification , commission , medicaid , family medicine , geocoding , emergency medicine , medical education , health care , business , finance , political science , economics , law , economic growth , remote sensing , geology
Objectives Accreditation of cerebrovascular ultrasound laboratories by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) and equivalent organizations is supported by the Joint Commission certification of stroke centers. Limited information exists on the accreditation status and geographic distribution of cerebrovascular testing facilities in the United States. Our study objectives were to identify the proportion of IAC‐accredited outpatient cerebrovascular testing facilities used by Medicare beneficiaries, describe their geographic distribution, and identify variations in cerebrovascular testing procedure types and volumes by accreditation status. Methods As part of the VALUE (Vascular Accreditation, Location, and Utilization Evaluation) Study, we examined the proportion of IAC‐accredited facilities that conducted cerebrovascular testing in a 5% Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services random Outpatient Limited Data Set in 2011 and investigated their geographic distribution using geocoding. Results Among 7327 outpatient facilities billing Medicare for cerebrovascular testing, only 22% (1640) were IAC accredited. The proportion of IAC‐accredited cerebrovascular testing facilities varied by region (χ 2 [3] = 177.1; P < .0001), with 29%, 15%, 13%, and 10% located in the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West, respectively. However, of the total number of cerebrovascular outpatient procedures conducted in 2011 (38,555), 40% (15,410) were conducted in IAC‐accredited facilities. Most cerebrovascular testing procedures were carotid duplex, with 40% of them conducted in IAC‐accredited facilities. Conclusions The proportion of facilities conducting outpatient cerebrovascular testing accredited by the IAC is low and varies by region. The growing number of certified stroke centers should be accompanied by more accredited outpatient vascular testing facilities, which could potentially improve the quality of stroke care.