General FAQs

Who can apply for ACE accreditation/CQI?

Accreditation applications are accepted from any facility where cardiologists, radiologists, vascular surgeons, and others practice. One application per procedure/per facility is valid for all locations in the facility where the procedure is performed.

What if we are not approved for accreditation?

The ACE accreditation process offers a corrective action plan during a provisional accreditation period pending repeat review for facilities that do not meet performance standards. Depending on the area of concern, recommendations may include enrollment in an appropriate training program or more frequent data submission. Based on the corrective plan provided to the applicant facility, ACE may recommend that the facility only continue to perform under specified circumstances or that the facility suspend performance of the procedures until the recommended remediation is achieved and approved by ACE.

What is required for our facility to maintain its ACE accreditation?

To maintain your ACE certification, report any major program changes, such as changes in key personnel, equipment, or procedures, as well as any sentinel event. Your facility will also be asked to complete an annual online survey. Facilities with “provisional” status are required to submit outcomes data more frequently as outlined in a customized corrective action plan.

What is ACE Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)?

ACE CQI is a strategic, long-term approach to providing the best health care possible. During the entire accreditation period, we will monitor your adherence to improvement milestones and consult with you as needed. Where appropriate, we will conduct onsite visits. ACE CQI is especially valuable where facilities undergo staff turnover, process changes or sentinel events during the accreditation period. In those cases, your CQI team will help you determine how best to maintain the highest possible quality during and after changes are implemented.

How is Accreditation different from CQI?

Continuous quality improvement is an integral part of the ACE program and is included in the cost of accreditation. An ACE accreditation certificate demonstrates to staff, patients and payors that your facility has met requirements that demonstrate the highest possible standards of patient care. ACE CQI is an ongoing process that occurs during and after accreditation to ensure continuous improvement over time and a strategic approach to maintaining the highest possible standards while improving processes.

The ACE CQI quality improvement program relies on best-practice standards, including those described in The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions’ Quality Improvement Toolkit to develop goals for each facility. During CQI, a team of experts will consult with you, develop goals and milestones, and will monitor your progress over time.

What does the accreditation fee include?

Unlike other accreditation programs, our pricing includes all services related to initial accreditation and ongoing CQI consulting/monitoring for the entire accreditation period. This includes, but is not limited to, record reviews by physicians and nurses, in-person interviews with key personnel, site visits by physicians, outcome reviews and a comprehensive report that includes a remediation plan and/or CQI plan.

During the accreditation period, we will continue to monitor your facility’s progress against the goals and milestones outlined in your CQI plan and will provide additional site visits and consulting/evaluation services as needed. If in-person physician visits are required after the initial accreditation, you will be responsible for travel expenses.

How do we get started?

Just create an account or log in, select the desired accreditation and click "Apply Now. You can also take a moment to review our Documents section to see what you will be asked to provide during the application process.

CAS FAQs

What is self-accreditation?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require all facilities where invasive procedures are performed to collect and submit and report data biannually to qualify for reimbursement.

Our facility is in compliance with CMS requirements for self-accreditation, so why should we recertify with ACE?

ACE certification indicates to patients, insurers, and the health care community at large that your facility offers the highest level of cardiac endovascular care by meeting the standards set by peers in your field. Accreditation by objective criteria has been demonstrated to be related to better patient outcomes