Abstract
Objectives: Accreditation of echocardiographic testing facilities by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is supported by the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. However, limited information exists on the accreditation status and geographic distribution of echocardiographic facilities in the United States. Our study aimed to identify (1) the proportion of outpatient echocardiography facilities used by Medicare beneficiaries that are IAC accredited, (2) their geographic distribution, and (3) variations in procedure type and volume by accreditation status. Methods: As part of the VALUE-ECHO (Value of Accreditation, Location, and Utilization Evaluation–Echocardiography) study, we examined the proportion of IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities performing outpatient echocardiography in the 2013 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outpatient limited data set (100% sample) and their geographic distribution using geocoding in ArcGIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA). Results: Among 4573 outpatient facilities billing Medicare for echocardiographic testing in 2013, 99.6% (n = 4554) were IAC accredited (99.7% in the 50 US states and 86.2% in Puerto Rico). The proportion IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities varied by region, with 98.7%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.5%, and 86.2% of facilities accredited in the Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and Puerto Rico, respectively (P <.01, Fisher exact test). Of all echocardiographic outpatient procedures conducted (n = 1,890,156), 99.8% (n = 1,885,382) were performed in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Most procedures (90.9%) were transthoracic echocardiograms, of which 99.7% were conducted in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Conclusions: Almost all outpatient echocardiographic facilities billed by Medicare are IAC accredited. This accreditation rate is substantially higher than previously reported for US outpatient vascular testing facilities (13% IAC accredited). The uniformity of imaging and interpretation protocols from a single accrediting body is important to facilitate optimal cardiovascular care.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 397-402 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- accreditation
- echocardiography (adult)
- health policy
- Intersocietal Accreditation Commission
- Medicare
- outpatient testing facilities
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
Cite this
Accreditation Status and Geographic Location of Outpatient Echocardiographic Testing Facilities Among Medicare Beneficiaries : The VALUE-ECHO Study. / Brown, Scott; Wang, Kefeng; Dong, Chuanhui; Yi, Li; Marinovic Gutierrez, Carolina; Di Tullio, Marco R.; Farrell, Mary Beth; Burgess, Pamela; Gornik, Heather L.; Hamburg, Naomi M.; Needleman, Laurence; Orsinelli, David; Robison, Susana; Rundek, Tatjana.
In: Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol. 37, No. 2, 01.02.2018, p. 397-402.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Accreditation Status and Geographic Location of Outpatient Echocardiographic Testing Facilities Among Medicare Beneficiaries
T2 - The VALUE-ECHO Study
AU - Brown, Scott
AU - Wang, Kefeng
AU - Dong, Chuanhui
AU - Yi, Li
AU - Marinovic Gutierrez, Carolina
AU - Di Tullio, Marco R.
AU - Farrell, Mary Beth
AU - Burgess, Pamela
AU - Gornik, Heather L.
AU - Hamburg, Naomi M.
AU - Needleman, Laurence
AU - Orsinelli, David
AU - Robison, Susana
AU - Rundek, Tatjana
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Objectives: Accreditation of echocardiographic testing facilities by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is supported by the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. However, limited information exists on the accreditation status and geographic distribution of echocardiographic facilities in the United States. Our study aimed to identify (1) the proportion of outpatient echocardiography facilities used by Medicare beneficiaries that are IAC accredited, (2) their geographic distribution, and (3) variations in procedure type and volume by accreditation status. Methods: As part of the VALUE-ECHO (Value of Accreditation, Location, and Utilization Evaluation–Echocardiography) study, we examined the proportion of IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities performing outpatient echocardiography in the 2013 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outpatient limited data set (100% sample) and their geographic distribution using geocoding in ArcGIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA). Results: Among 4573 outpatient facilities billing Medicare for echocardiographic testing in 2013, 99.6% (n = 4554) were IAC accredited (99.7% in the 50 US states and 86.2% in Puerto Rico). The proportion IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities varied by region, with 98.7%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.5%, and 86.2% of facilities accredited in the Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and Puerto Rico, respectively (P <.01, Fisher exact test). Of all echocardiographic outpatient procedures conducted (n = 1,890,156), 99.8% (n = 1,885,382) were performed in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Most procedures (90.9%) were transthoracic echocardiograms, of which 99.7% were conducted in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Conclusions: Almost all outpatient echocardiographic facilities billed by Medicare are IAC accredited. This accreditation rate is substantially higher than previously reported for US outpatient vascular testing facilities (13% IAC accredited). The uniformity of imaging and interpretation protocols from a single accrediting body is important to facilitate optimal cardiovascular care.
AB - Objectives: Accreditation of echocardiographic testing facilities by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is supported by the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. However, limited information exists on the accreditation status and geographic distribution of echocardiographic facilities in the United States. Our study aimed to identify (1) the proportion of outpatient echocardiography facilities used by Medicare beneficiaries that are IAC accredited, (2) their geographic distribution, and (3) variations in procedure type and volume by accreditation status. Methods: As part of the VALUE-ECHO (Value of Accreditation, Location, and Utilization Evaluation–Echocardiography) study, we examined the proportion of IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities performing outpatient echocardiography in the 2013 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outpatient limited data set (100% sample) and their geographic distribution using geocoding in ArcGIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA). Results: Among 4573 outpatient facilities billing Medicare for echocardiographic testing in 2013, 99.6% (n = 4554) were IAC accredited (99.7% in the 50 US states and 86.2% in Puerto Rico). The proportion IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities varied by region, with 98.7%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.5%, and 86.2% of facilities accredited in the Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and Puerto Rico, respectively (P <.01, Fisher exact test). Of all echocardiographic outpatient procedures conducted (n = 1,890,156), 99.8% (n = 1,885,382) were performed in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Most procedures (90.9%) were transthoracic echocardiograms, of which 99.7% were conducted in IAC-accredited echocardiographic facilities. Conclusions: Almost all outpatient echocardiographic facilities billed by Medicare are IAC accredited. This accreditation rate is substantially higher than previously reported for US outpatient vascular testing facilities (13% IAC accredited). The uniformity of imaging and interpretation protocols from a single accrediting body is important to facilitate optimal cardiovascular care.
KW - accreditation
KW - echocardiography (adult)
KW - health policy
KW - Intersocietal Accreditation Commission
KW - Medicare
KW - outpatient testing facilities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044258121&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85044258121&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jum.14349
DO - 10.1002/jum.14349
M3 - Article
C2 - 28786137
AN - SCOPUS:85044258121
VL - 37
SP - 397
EP - 402
JO - Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine
JF - Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine
SN - 0278-4297
IS - 2
ER -