Senior VP and Founder RAD-Planning and Gilk Radiology Consultants Overland Park, KS
This session touches on two different aspects of your MRI facility and information you may not be getting… the bricks-and-mortar of your MRI suite, and MRI accreditation.
When it comes to the planning of your MRI facility, you can simply use the prototype suite layouts that your MRI vendor provides you, right? Well you could do that, but think about what those prototypes don’t include… they don’t ask about levels of patient acuity, or degrees of intervention, or airborne infection / decontamination. They don't assure compliance with contemporary codes or standards, including what may be required for accreditation. Also, last year's MRI design may not reflect new regulatory changes with the 5 gauss line (changes that could potentially save tens-of-thousands in construction costs).
Well, thankfully at least our MRI accreditation means that we don’t have to worry about any safety issues, because our MRI accreditation promises safety, right? Not exactly. Accreditation providers, from Joint Commission, to DNV, to ACR, to IAC all promote two promises from getting accredited, 'quality and safety.' While accreditation does strengthen safety in many areas of healthcare, when it comes to MRI safety, your accreditation may 'talk the talk' but not 'walk the walk'.
In both halves of this session, the presenters will share the information you’re getting from your MRI vendor, and your MRI accreditation organization, highlight the missing pieces and fill many of them in for you.
* This session will also be held on Sunday, July 10 at 2:30-4:00pm.
Learning Objectives:
Understand what MRI vendor templates do and don't include (safety and operations), and how to plug those gaps.
Understand the purpose and intention of accreditation, and how it applies to MRI safety.
Identify your MRI safety weaknesses not actually identified / corrected by accreditation.