UnitedHealthcare will require all facilities performing diagnostic imaging to obtain appropriate accreditation by third quarter 2008 in order to continue receiving reimbursements for many imaging procedures. The deadline had previously been March 1, 2008. However, recent data from the insurer indicates that overall, less than half of the health plan's imaging providers have yet to complete the process.

Currently, only approximately half of the plan's MRI, nuclear medicine, and CT providers are accredited while nearly two-thirds of PET providers have completed the accreditation process.

In order to comply with the UHc deadline and ensure reimbursement for diagnostic imaging services is not compromised, the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommends that facilities begin the accreditation process immediately. UHc has recognized the ACR and the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) as acceptable accrediting organizations for medical imaging, and has designated the following modalities as falling under the mandate: CT, MRI, PET, nuclear medicine/cardiology and echocardiography.
All providers performing these procedures will need to submit a completed application for accreditation by UHc's deadline. Facilities will then have a 12 month window from the date of submission in which reimbursements will not be stalled, provided that their accreditation is underway. A current list of corresponding CPT codes is available on the UHc Web site.

The ACR has accredited more than 22,000 facilities nationwide and is the most widely recognized medical imaging accreditation body. ACR accreditation provides a timely, efficient process for both self-assessment and independent, external expert audit in the areas of MRI, CT, PET, nuclear medicine, and nuclear cardiology.

"Accreditation assesses the overall quality of a practice, including personnel, equipment, quality assurance activities, and ultimately the quality of patient care," said Arl Van Moore Jr., M.D., FACR, chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors. "Accreditation is an opportunity for providers and facilities to demonstrate to patients and referring physicians that they are committed to providing the highest quality care."

For facilities interested in the status of their accreditation application, e-mail the ACR accreditation staff listed online or call the ACR Accreditation Hotline at 800-770-0145. Answers to frequently asked questions related to the accreditation mandate are available on the UHc Web site.

The ACR is pleased that UHc has taken on this initiative and enlisted the expert knowledge, experience and support of the ACR in improving patient safety and quality care.

Read DOTmed's previous coverage of this story:
www.dotmed.com/news/story/3165

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