JANUARY 2013 | Identifying research as a core strategy toward furthering its mission of Improving health care through accreditation, in 2012 the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) launched its Research Award Program to fund innovative and meritorious research relevant to facility accreditation.

The IAC is pleased to announce the following grant recipients for its inaugural, 2013 Research Award Program:

1. "Is Camera Age an Indicator of Nuclear Cardiology Lab Quality?"

Principal Investigator: Dr. Timothy Bateman, Co-director of Cardiovascular Radiologic Imaging at the Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute, Kansas City, Mo., and Professor of Medicine at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.

2. "Establishment of IAC CT Dose Reference Levels"
Principal Investigator: Dr. Chun Ruan, Assistant Professor/Diagnostic Imaging Physicist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City, Okla.

3. "Laboratory Accreditation in Medicare Beneficiaries"
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tatjana Rundek, Professor of Neurology, Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Director of Clinical Translational Research Division in the Department of Neurology of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

4. "Radiation Dose Reduction Implementation"
Principal Investigator: Dr. Scott Jerome, Director of Ambulatory Outreach Cardiology for the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland.

The IAC Research Committee evaluated submissions based upon their originality, practicality of study design, potential impact, generalizability and probability of achieving meaningful results within one year. In addition, investigator qualifications and previous health services research experience were considered.

Commenting on the 2013 grant awards, IAC Chairperson, Geoffrey A. Rose, MD stated, "Demonstrating specifically how accreditation improves the quality - and thus the value - of health care is vital to IAC. By supporting this type of original research, these first grant awards reflect IAC's commitment toward achieving that aim."

Dr. Gary V. Heller, IAC Research Officer and Chairman of the IAC Research Committee remarked, "The number and quality of applications for research grants was gratifying and those selected will undoubtedly make a difference in our understanding of the value of accreditation. The committee looks forward to the research that these grants will enable in 2013 as well as to future projects."

A nonprofit organization highly regarded for its imaging accreditation programs since 1990, the IAC is committed to its mission through a rigorous peer review process. To date, the IAC accrediting divisions have granted accreditation to more than 12,000 sites throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. IAC accreditation is widely respected within the medical community, as illustrated by the support of more than 30 national medical societies. Varying per modality and practice setting, IAC accreditation is required in some states and regions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and by numerous private insurers. However, because in some regions accreditation remains a voluntary process, patients are advised to ensure that their imaging procedures are performed within accredited facilities.

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