The financial impact of accreditation on rural providers is also a concern. The Joint Commission's fee structure is based on the annual volume of imaging services that are being rendered. For example, the cost for a small rural provider would be significantly less than a very large imaging provider. Another key characteristic of our process is that fees are billed over the length of the three-year accreditation period. This can help spread the cost and could reduce upfront expenses, especially for rural providers. CMS is cognizant of The Joint Commission's philosophy on accreditation, which is not modality or equipment-specific to qualification and image quality. Rather, The Joint Commission is systems-oriented and takes a global approach to both patient and staff safety.
Michael Kulczycki is the executive director for the Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program at The Joint Commission. He has more than 35 years of experience in managing and marketing health care organizations and other entities, and has spoken in numerous imaging center forums, including GE Healthcare's OIC Conference, ASC/Imaging 100, AHRA and RBMA.
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