Revision History
ACR CT, MR, NM/PET, Breast MR and Stereotactic Breast Biopsy accreditation is unit-based; therefore, facilities must notify the ACR if a unit is added, replaced with a new one, or permanently withdrawn from service.
Adding a New or Replacement Unit
These instructions do not apply to ultrasound/breast ultrasound. For information specific to mammography, please see Adding a New, Replacement, Repaired or Loaner Unit, or Withdrawing a Unit: Mammography
For accreditation purposes, a “new” unit is any unit that is new to the facility. This includes previously owned units, previously accredited units moved from one site to another, and new units replacing previously accredited units. To apply for a new unit under your existing accreditation, select "Unit" under the Add section on the left-hand navigation of your dashboard.” Select the modality and "Add New Unit" under the action column for the modality adding a unit.
The accreditation options available for a new unit depend upon the amount of time the facility has left on its current accreditation certificate:
Over 13 months: The facility may submit a new unit addendum or a new unit reinstate | |
New Unit Addendum: The facility will submit complete phantom and clinical testing for the new unit(s) and pay a reduced accreditation fee. The added unit(s) will receive the same expiration date as currently approved units for this modality. | New Unit Reinstate: The facility will submit complete phantom and clinical testing for all active units, existing and new, and will pay the full application fee. The expiration date will be three years from the first approval report date. |
Fewer than 13 months: The facility will start an early renewal | |
The facility must renew accreditation for all units at the facility, including the new one. Early renewal requires full application fees and complete phantom and clinical testing. Once approved, all of the units at the facility will have an expiration date that is 3 years from the old expiration date. | |
Units that receive replacements or upgrades to any of the major subassemblies after accreditation is granted will be treated as new units and follow the procedures above. Minor modifications, such as replacing the detector on a stereo unit or replacing an Xray tube, do not require notification. Please note that this is for accreditation testing as a new unit only. Refer to individual modality QC requirements for physicist testing requirements after any minor modification.
The majority of software-only upgrades do not require testing as a new unit. Major hardware upgrades that require the physicist to perform acceptance testing and/or establish new baselines for technologist QC require new unit accreditation testing. Major upgrades include but are not limited to: replacing the magnet or gradient coils; new gradient drivers/RF transmitter; or replacing all/the majority of imaging coils.
If a unit is moved to a new room in an existing accredited facility, select "Internal Equipment Location" under the Change/Update section on the left-hand navigation of your dashboard. The submission of additional physics documentation may be required. If a unit is moved to a new address, please see the guidelines for changes in facility, personnel and modality .
Loaner Units
Accredited facilities may use a “loaner” unit to temporarily replace an accredited unit that is out of service for repairs, etc., for up to 6 months without submitting images for evaluation. The accredited facility must immediately notify the ACR of the installation date, manufacturer, and model of the loaner. Any loaner unit that is in use for more than 1 month will be required to submit evidence of testing by a qualified medical physicist/MR scientist within 90 days of installation. If the loaner is in place for longer than 6 months, the facility must submit an application to accredit the unit, including clinical and phantom images as relevant, as well as the corresponding fee.
Withdrawing a Unit
If a unit is no longer used for imaging, the facility must withdraw the unit from the accreditation system. Select "Unit" under the Withdraw section on the left-hand navigation of your dashboard and select the “Withdraw” link under the action column for the modality withdrawing the unit. The facility must complete and submit the Withdraw Unit Application (available within ACRedit Plus) to the ACR. If your account is due for renewal, the unit may be withdrawn in the renewal application.
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 Managing Your Modalities in ACRedit | |
