Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which services have to be accredited?

All diagnostic imaging services in the Medicare Benefits Schedule must accredited except the following:

·          Cardiac Ultrasound

·          Cardiac Angiography

·          Obstetric and Gynaecological Ultrasound

·          Nuclear Medicine Imaging

What are the standards?

You can access the standards from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing website http://www.health.gov.au/diagnosticimaging

How much is the cost of assessment?

·          Fees are calculated on the number of diagnostic imaging modalities provided by the Practice and the number of medical practitioners at each site

·          Fees include registration, desktop auditing processes, supporting material and assistance with the accreditation process

·          Refer to Fee Schedule in Quick Links

After application, what does the Practice need to do?

·          ACHS will provide the Practice with a registration number and the necessary documentation to proceed to the next stage of accreditation. (refer to Procedures for Accreditation in Quick Links)

·          For organisations with Deemed Accreditation, applications must be made no later than 23 June 2009.

Do we need to register for each of our sites?

Yes, each site requires separate registration

What is an imaging practitioner?

An individual who is qualified / certified to use diagnostic imaging equipment listed against an LSPN.  This includes medical / dental professionals who take their own images; allied health professionals who take images; radiologists reporting the images; radiographers; sonographers; certified nurses / dental technicians and some specific technical roles

What is a full-time equivalent imaging practitioner?

If the Diagnostic Imaging Practice has a number of staff working part-time or shiftwork in imaging roles, the equivalent number of full time staff that their hours would represent can be estimated.

What if our imaging services have changed since we applied for the LSPN?

Your LSPN is recorded on the Diagnostic Imaging Register.  You will need to keep the imaging equipment recorded against your LSPN up-to-date with Medicare otherwise your application for registration / accreditation of an unrecorded imaging modality will be unsuccessful.  To update the imaging equipment recorded against your LSPN, please contact Medicare Australia on the toll-free number 1800 620 589.

The ACHS registration form includes two sets of contact details, one for the Practice itself and one for the primary contact..  The address and phone numbers for each site itself may differ on each site’s applications

What if my organisation is responsible for multiple imaging sites?

Every imaging site needs to be individually accredited.  You should complete a separate application form for each of the sites.  You should name the sites using your organisational name first.  For example: If the Northside Area Health Service has practices in TownOne and VillageTwo, it could record the name of its sites as ‘Northside AHS – TownOne Radiology” and ‘Northside AHS – VillageTwo Radiology’