Let us Help You Get Certified in Vascular Ultrasound
You need at
least fifteen hours of Category I instruction in vascular ultrasound to
fulfill most states’ requirements to interpret (or perform) vascular
studies. With us, these will be the most productive fifteen hours you
can ever find.
Expert Faculty. Keith Mauney will work with you individually
as you join a small group of peers in class; he’ll focus nearly forty
years of experience on your goal. Without the usual charts and
graphs,
he’ll cut to the core of every element of every test, covering the
practical information you’ll need, providing you with the Category I CME
hours you require.
We know what you want. And we won’t waste a minute of your
time. We started our courses for physicians in 1983, long before
national standards came to be. And our content has matched and exceeded
the science ever since.
Quick In and Out.
It’s easy and inexpensive to get to us: your meeting will be fifteen
minutes from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport or Love Field, so you can fly in
and out over a weekend. The most nonstop flights, in the most
competitive airfare market in the country. Be sure to reserve your
Executive Car Service.
Don’t Leave the Office. You can save even more time. Let us hold this course in your own conference room,
at a schedule that suits yours: over a weekend or after hours. Your
investment is paid off by your efficiency and the cost can be spread
over other participants in your group. Bring the entire staff up to
speed at once. We can even combine sonographer training and community
physician awareness training before or after your own, to ensure your
practice is operating at the highest level. Learn more: Call on us now.
Credentialing Facts Briefing
Physicians and Abdominal/Obstetric/Breast Ultrasound
There is presently no Medicare directive requiring sonographer
certification as a prerequisite to reimbursement for these procedures.
Oregon, New Mexico have state law requiring all sonographers to be
credentialed to practice in any field. Other states are considering
similar actions. Private insurance carriers may have separate policies.
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has recommended
guidelines in place to ensure the highest standard of facility
compliance. Learn more.
Physicians and Cardiac Ultrasound
Medicare is evolving its policies state by state; many states already
require technologist credentialing as a condition for reimbursement.
Physician credentialing is required in some, but not all states as a
prerequisite to reimbursement by Medicare. Learn more.
Private payers are adopting more rigorous policies, but uniformity
across the nation is still years away; ICAEL posts the most current
positions of the nations largest private payers on its site here.
Eventually the entire US will follow suit. The National Board of Echocardiography
is currently the only credentialing board for doctors and prerequisites
include either cardiovascular board certification or specialized post
graduate medical training in cardiovascular medicine, plus
interpretation experience.
Physicians and Vascular Ultrasound (all applications)
Medicare has directives throughout the entire United States that require
physicians interpreting vascular ultrasound provide evidence of
specialized training, specific to the technology. Sonographers
performing vascular ultrasound studies must either possess certification
un vascular ultrasound or (in some states) perform the exam under the
supervision of a certified sonographer.
Inspect your state’s specific Medicare policy for both physicians and technologists here.
Private insurance carriers may have different policies. ICAVL no longer
posts information from private insurance carriers; you will need to
contact them directly for current or pending policy. In general, most
require at least 10-15 hours of focused training int the specialty area.
Some states now require formal certification for physicians to read.
Most hospitals‘ labs are ICAVL credentialed, which requires reading
physicians to have met formal training standards in medical school or
informally, by the following
pathway:
• 40+ hours of Category 1 CME specific to vascular testing
within the prior three years, plus
• 8 hours of supervised practical experience or
observation in a credentialed vascular laboratory, and
also
• documentation of 100 cases interpreted and overread by
a credentialed-lab physician, in each specialty area of
application. Learn more.
Only one agency can credential primary care physicians in all areas of
vascular ultrasound interpretation. As we noted above, this credential
is presently required only in certain states. The American Registry of
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) offers the Registered Physician
Vascular Interpretation credential; it has a 96% pass rate. Learn more.
Specifically Regarding Facilities Credentialing
Two separate agencies credential echocardiography and vascular
laboratory services: ICAEL and ICAVL, respectively. Private offices and
hospitals providing vascular ultrasound studies (whether in conjunction
with echocardiography or as a standalone service) should be--and will
eventually be
required to be--credentialed by the appropriate agency.
The entire body of certification guidelines can now be downloaded for free: ICAEL Guidelines and ICAVL Guidelines.
The process is still voluntary, and payment is still allowed in
non-credentialed labs provided physician and sonographer credentialing
criteria have been met. This will likely change by 2012.
Sonographer Credentialing
Three different bodies can credential sonographers in vascular
ultrasound: the ARDMS, CCI, or the American Registry of Radiologic
Technologists. The ARDMS and CCI credentials are equally recognized by
Medicare in all states and territories; they have nearly equal pass/fail rates
and test on the same content. The ASRT credential is open only to
qualified registered radiologic technologists and is not presently
recognized by Medicare in all fifty states.
The prerequisites for the ARDMS and CCI are unique to the various
entry-level backgrounds and experience. You can quickly navigate the
current prerequisites (always subject to change) with the color-coded charts here.
Our post graduate courses move you closer to all of these goals.
Our Value Proposition for You
We’re the very best investment of training time and money for your employee.
We’ll build on their knowledge by reaffirming it then expanding it.
We’ll guide them into a core skills set congruent with standard
protocols so they’ll return ready to fit into your own. We’ll build
their confidence and correct their mistakes.
Our course content is congruent with all national standards. Our class
experience exceeds it. We’ll return them to you ready to grow into the
production you need. We can’t implant in them the years of experience
it takes to become expert but we will shortcut months of learning to
become independent, confident, and authoritative quickly.
The investment is well placed:
• Direct flights from every large city in North America in the
most competitive priced air markets.
• No distractions from learning: no bikinis, speedos, beach
bars, or parties. Rather, a professional, safe, respectful
setting for your employee’s professional development.
• The entire course held at the host hotel, with discounted
rates. All suite property, complete with full kitchens. Fifteen
minutes from the airport to the conference site front desk.
• AMA Category I continuing medical education credit gives
your employee the focused, accredited training hours to
prepare for and maintain formal certification.
• Hands-on courses commit up to four hours a day in our
hands-on Scan Lab and the Lab is open around the clock
for independent practice.
• Course reference materials are in depth and support your
staff for years to come.
• Breakfast is complimentary every day; lunch is provided
each day of the course. In-room dining and grocery delivery
service at the hotel; restaurants within safe walking
distance.
• Post conference support goes on for life, for free.
Secure your investment by ensuring your employee’s
commitment: download an employer/employee contract
form, exchanging your training investment for their time commitment.
If you have a larger project involving several staff, or sonographers and physicians, you might find that our on-site training
option is more effective. We bring every necessary element of the
coursework to you and conduct it in your space, on your schedule, and
use your patients as learning models. You benefit by saving on travel
costs, absentee pay, and lost productivity.
Compare us to our colleagues in training. Inspect our public courses, and the ones we’ve got upcoming (and tell us whatever else you think we should create). Then contact us
for answers to any concern or question you might have. We’re
passionate about your success and grateful for the chance to serve.
Learn more: FAQ’s
Ultrasound can leverage your time exponentially.
Will you master the process?