IAC (Intersocietal Accreditation Commission)
- The primary accrediting body for echocardiography laboratories in the United States.
- Accreditation covers adult TTE, adult TEE, adult stress echo, and adult congenital echo (as separate testing areas).
Requirements - high level
- Personnel: board-certified/board-eligible cardiologists (or equivalent) and credentialed sonographers (ARDMS-registered in adult echo, typically).
- Volume: minimum annual case volumes documented.
- Quality assurance: periodic peer review of studies (recommended ≥ 10 % of studies).
- Report turnaround and preliminary vs. final read separation.
- Continuing medical education: ongoing hours in echocardiography.
- Written protocols for each study type.
Why accreditation matters
- Payer requirement (many insurers require IAC-accredited labs for reimbursement).
- Quality assurance signal for referrers.
- Structured process for continuous improvement.