What Patients Should Know
Welcome to the Patient Information section of IAC CT online. The IAC provides the following information as a service to the general public. This section is designed to help prospective patients stay educated and informed about computed tomography (CT) imaging and the importance of accredited facilities.
IAC ACCREDITED FACILITY LOCATOR ON QUALITYMEDICALTESTING.ORG
The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) has provided an additional website as a public service to educate patients on the importance of receiving medical care from an accredited facility. Click on the IAC Accredited Facility Locator to find your facility today!
Go to QualityMedicalTesting.org»
What is a CT examination?
Computed tomography (CT) is a procedure that combines a series of x-ray images taken from different angles to digitally produce cross-sectional pictures of the body that yield good spatial resolution (the ability to distinguish two separate structures at small distances from each other). For certain medical conditions, CT may provide better overall diagnostic quality images than conventional x-ray. CT diagnostic examinations have become instrumental in the diagnoses and treatment planning of a multitude of ailments ranging from heart disease, tumors, fractures and sometimes life-threatening conditions such as acute appendicitis and stroke. Since its inception in the late 1960’s, CT technology has been hailed as one of the top five medical developments of the 20th century.1
According Dr. John Boone, chairman of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), 70 million CT scans are performed each year in the United States alone, and play a critical role in saving the lives of thousands of people every day.2
Physicians who recommend that their patients get a CT examination must be knowledgeable about the radiation involved for the study and your diagnostic imaging history. Experts are in agreement worldwide that the benefits of CT technology far outweigh the risks when knowledgeable staff are ordering, performing and interpreting the CT procedures.
IAC CT Accreditation –“Seal of Approval” Patients Can Count On.
Hospitals, physician offices, medical centers, and imaging departments that are accredited by the IAC CT undergo a rigorous review of the CT operations pertaining to patient care in their facility. A comprehensive quality assessment program must be in place that evaluates patient safety inclusive of equipment testing and radiation dose assessment to ensure the dose delivered is in keeping with national guidelines. Specialists in the medical CT community such as physicians, technologists, radiologists and physicists evaluate these sites and determine if they meet the guidelines. Accreditation is granted only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with the IAC CT Standards. Once granted, IAC CT accreditation is valid for a period of three years, after which time the facility must undergo a repeat evaluation.