Aetna U.S. Healthcare announced today that it will require participating MR providers to be accredited under the American College of Radiology's accreditation program, effective Jan. 1, 2000. It is the first managed-care organization to make the voluntary ACR program mandatory for its MR providers.
Based in Blue Bell, PA, Aetna U.S. Healthcare has nearly 16 million members nationwide. Approximately 100,000 members will have had MR exams by the end of 1998, said Dr. Arthur N. Leibowitz, chief medical officer.
"Clearly, taking steps to improve the quality of these studies is a serious concern to us, our members, and the doctors who refer our members for care," Leibowitz said.
The ACR's voluntary MR program provides three-year accreditation based on qualification of personnel, equipment performance, effectiveness of quality-control measures, and quality of clinical images.
Aetna U.S. Healthcare began using the ACR's mammography accreditation program in 1991, three years before accreditation was mandated by federal law.
The decision by Aetna U.S. Healthcare came as "no surprise," according to Dr. W. Max Cloud, chairman of the ACR's board of chancellors.
"We believe that ACR accreditation of MRI centers offers consumers a method to gauge the commitment of the center to meet quality standards," he said.
"(Aetna) felt strongly that we should take a leadership role in encouraging an MRI center's participation in this accreditation program," Leibowitz said.
