Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions

 

The accreditation process follows a 3-year cycle, after which re-evaluation is required to maintain your "accredited" status. We send reminder notices for reaccreditation via email as well as regular mail at the following intervals: 9, 6, and 3 months prior to your expiration date.

Unfortunately, we do not offer extensions.

If we receive your application after your accreditation has lapsed, you will receive new dates of accreditation once your practice has completed the process again.

The AIUM does not certify individuals; we accredit medical ultrasound practices.

• Certified: A person who has demonstrated their knowledge or skills by passing a test or meeting established criteria, earning official recognition for their qualifications. Certification follows an individual regardless of where they are employed.

• Accredited: An organization or institution that has undergone evaluation and received official approval for meeting defined quality or performance standards. Accreditation remains with the practice if a provider leaves; it does not follow them.

You can print the payment page at the end of the online application, which automatically calculates the fee. To estimate the application fee in advance, you can download the Application Fee Estimator.

For an official invoice with the predicted amount, please email accreditation@aium.org.

It takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the day your application is considered "complete" until you receive the results of your application and case studies. The practice has 30 days to respond to all comments and findings. The sooner the practice responds, the sooner a decision is rendered. 

If you haven't received an email within the time frame stated above, please email accreditation@aium.org for a status update.

The accreditation fee may be paid by check, money order, or credit card (VISA, MC, AMEX, DISC). 

Please refer to the Accreditation Application Toolkit.

If you haven't already downloaded it, please enter your email address for the free PDF.

The RMSK is an individual certification offered through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) for musculoskeletal ultrasound.

AIUM Ultrasound Practice Accreditation does not require physicians to become certified in RMSK.

To apply for practice accreditation, physicians must meet at least one criterion listed in the AIUM training guidelines. Read the  Standards and Guidelines for an overview. You may access the accreditation application manual  HERE. 

According to the "Guidelines for Cleaning and Preparing External- and Internal-Use Ultrasound Transducers and Equipment Between Patients as Well as Safe Handling and Use of Ultrasound Coupling Gel", one should perform high-level disinfection of the probe between each use and use a probe cover or condom as an aid to keep the probe clean.

Hover your mouse over the Accreditation tab at the top of AIUM’s homepage and click "Directory of Accredited Practices" in the dropdown. Or, just click here to access.

You would add this site to an existing accreditation. Once you have acquired the site, email us at accreditation@aium.org for an update form. If you have already submitted your application and are under review, please contact us to add it.

A mobile-only practice cannot have fixed sites and doesn't rent, own, or lease the sites where ultrasounds are performed and interpreted.

• A mobile unit is an ultrasound machine that is transported to the facility where scans are performed;
• All units must be part of a single legal entity;
• There must be 1 physician director of ultrasound overseeing all mobile units;
• The interpreting physician(s) must be employed or contracted by the mobile-only practice;
• The same policies, protocols, and diagnostic criteria must be followed at all visited locations;
• All ultrasound equipment must receive regular quality assurance testing;
• Certificates will only be issued per machine.
  

Fixed site(s) are rented, owned, or leased by one entity.

• There must be one physician director of ultrasound overseeing all sites;
• The interpreting physician(s) and/or sonographer(s) must be employed or contracted by the practice;
• The same policies, protocols, and diagnostic criteria must be followed at all sites;
• All ultrasound equipment must receive regular quality assurance testing;
• A certificate will be provided for each site.

Providers performing and/or interpreting ultrasound exams must be listed on the application and meet the AIUM Training Guidelines. Locum physicians must meet the training guidelines to comply with the AIUM Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Ultrasound Practices.

Yes. All personnel performing and/or interpreting ultrasound examinations must be listed on the application and meet relevant training guidelines. This includes sonographers, PAs, NPs, DPTs, CNMs/CMs and DCs, for example.

No – you can obtain the status of your accreditation and your pending online application by logging into your AIUM administrator account and proceed to the Accreditation Dashboard (Login --> My Account --> Accreditation Dashboard). 

No. Since your practice rents, owns, or leases the space where the ultrasounds are performed, you should designate this as an additional fixed site and list the ultrasound machine under that location on your application.

If a sonographer employed at an AIUM Accredited practice does not become RDMS/ARRT certified in all specialty area(s) that s/he performs by reaccreditation, they can no longer perform ultrasound examinations in that specialty.  Please reference the Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Ultrasound Practices for more information.

Yes, nonregistered sonographers must be added, and AIUM requires them to obtain RDMS/ARRT specialty certification before the next reaccreditation cycle (within three years).

All sonographers must be certified in the specialty or specialties in which they perform ultrasound evaluations or must become certified before the next reaccreditation. If a sonographer is required to become certified in multiple specialties, the sonographer must obtain a minimum of 1 additional specialty certification per accreditation cycle.

Accredited practices using LT physicians performing and/or interpreting diagnostic or interventional ultrasounds must verify that these physicians meet the AIUM training guidelines before working.

AIUM does not endorse specific products. However, all the products listed on the following link (FDA) are AIUM approved.

• FDA-Cleared Sterilants and High-Level Disinfectants with General Claims for Processing Reusable Medical and Dental Devices

Yes, we require machines to be evaluated annually (each year). We no longer use the words "preventative maintenance" and have changed the terminology to "quality assurance on ultrasound equipment". We require routine quality assurance to be performed on your ultrasound equipment as outlined in the document linked below:

• Routine Quality Assurance for Diagnostic Ultrasound Equipment 2.0

If the same non-compliant finding was listed on multiple survey/audit results, you could give a single generalized response to each finding.

Please email accreditation@aium.org or call 301-498-4100, option 1 for assistance.

CME credits are required at the time your application is submitted.

Please review the relevant AIUM Training Guidelines for provider volume and CME requirements.

 

CME credits must be uploaded to the provider’s profile in your online application (Manage Personnel --> Details --> CME Credits).

Reaccrediting practices should refer to the CME Disclaimer.

 

Please download the Accreditation Toolkit (page 3, Accreditation Specialties) or go to the main Accreditation webpage (scroll down for list of specialties and click the relevant specialty for related documents, including case study requirements).

View the Sound Waves article, Are You Following the AIUM Practice Guidelines?

Yes. If your study incorporates an endovaginal or endorectal transducer, the report must mention this.

See  AIUM Practice Guideline for Documentation of an Ultrasound Examination

For the purpose of accreditation, a “study” consists of images performed on a single date only and a
corresponding final report.

Yes. However, “Fetus # 1” may imply that this is the first of a multiple gestation. Suggest reporting as singleton, 1/1, 1 of 1, or fetal number = 1.

Patient ID may be removed, if desired. However, the facility name, output display (TI/power), and time/date stamp must be visible, and there must be a way to correlate the images with the appropriate reports.

No. The report must be signed and dated within 24 hours of the exam date or by the next business day (if not an emergency).

See  AIUM Practice Guideline for Documentation of an Ultrasound Examination

Yes. If your practice is seeking accreditation in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester OB, the first trimester exam for the primary site must be transvaginal. However, first trimester studies from additional sites/mobile units can be transabdominal.


If applying for first trimester accreditation only, at least one of the four exams for the primary site must be transvaginal.

Yes. You must demonstrate the right and left adnexal regions even if the ovaries are not identified.

No. For the purpose of accreditation, thyroidectomy, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, nephrectomy, orchiectomy, etc. are not acceptable for submission.

Yes, as long as all fetal anatomy is demonstrated. For example, cases showing fetal pyelectasis or ventriculomegaly would be acceptable.

Yes. However, in order to be compliant, you must label the slide or file with the appropriate label prior to submitting your case to AIUM.

TI stands for Thermal Index. This reflects the potential for heat-induced bioeffects. Thermal index for soft tissue (TIs) should be used during the first 8 weeks after conception (10 weeks gestational age) and Thermal index for bone (TIb) should be used after once ossification becomes evident (after 10 weeks gestation). Thermal index values should be monitored.

Contact your applications specialist for specific information about your equipment.

Please refer to the article  Ultrasound Biosafety Considerations for the Practicing Sonographer and Sonologist.

Doppler (spectral or color) of the embryo or fetus should not be used in the first trimester unless clinically indicated. If you need to record a heart rate at any time during a pregnancy, M-mode should be utilized first as a way to get heart rate.

No. If it is not demonstrated on the BPD/HC, then a separate labeled image must be demonstrated.

“Do You Know Everything You Need to Know About the BPD Level?”

Please read the following articles:

The Cavum Septi Pellucidi - Why Is It Important?

Columns of the Fornix, Not to Be Mistaken for the Cavum Septi Pellucidi on Prenatal Sonography

Yes.

Do not export images as BITMAP, TIFF, or DICOM files. These file types are either too large or need specialized software to open. Please, only export images as JPG/JPEGs.

Each patient's report + corresponding images must be combined into a single file. Refer to "General File Requirements" and "How to Prepare Your Documents for Upload", attached to the Application Checklist.

When the volume measurements of the uterine corpus are performed, the calipers should be placed from the fundus to the internal os. The cervical component should be excluded from the uterine length measurement.

For the purpose of accreditation, anatomy must be clearly labeled. While the Ultrasound Practice Accreditation Council (UPAC) understands that providers reading these scans are clearly aware of what each image demonstrates, the protocol for practice evaluation is uniform and must cover a broad spectrum of practices.

In order to evaluate timeliness of the report we would like to see the date the report was signed. The "exam date" or "date of report" does not confirm the report was signed within 24 hours or the next business day.

In order to demonstrate the vermis correctly in an axial plane, you must angle to show the 4th ventricle. In a normal vermis, the tissue will be more echogenic than the substance of the cerebellar hemisphere.

The sagittal plane is also a good way to show the vermis.

You can find examples of the vermis within the sample images for Detailed Fetal Anatomy at the links below:

• Cerebellar Vermis Example 1
• Cerebellar Vermis Example 2

The three-vessel and trachea view (3VTV) is more cranial to the three-vessel view (3VV).

The three-vessel trachea view demonstrates the aortic arch and ductal arch merging together into the descending aorta to the left of the spine and trachea. The superior vena cava is seen in a cross section and is located to the right of the aortic arch. 


You can find an example of the 3VV and the 3VTV within the sample images for Detailed Fetal Anatomy at the links below:

•  3VV Example

•  3VTV Example

Just the presence of hands and feet; no clenched fists. You need to be able to tell the hands and feet are normal.

If you are an accredited practice or follow the  AIUM Standard OB Practice Parameters, the 3VV, 3VTV, situs, hands, and feet should be imaged on each standard OB exam.