ACR accreditation of nuclear medicine and PET imaging departments

The accreditation programs of the American College of Radiology (ACR) are the most established and widely proven for all imaging modalities. For facilities committed to quality imaging, the ACR Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Program provides a solid foundation for a continuous quality improvement program through a peer review and educational process. This article provides general information describing the goals and development of the ACR accreditation programs. The ACR Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Program evaluates the qualifications of personnel, equipment, image quality, and quality control measures. It is believed that these are the primary factors that have an impact on the quality of patient imaging. This article describes the application process, including the clinical examinations that are required and the quality control and performance tests that are expected from each facility. Outcomes and pass/fail statistics are discussed, as are common pitfalls that may cause deficiencies. Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to describe the application process, the components of the ACR accreditation program, the most common causes for failure, and the site survey process.