EACVI Laboratory Accreditation in Echocardiography

Requirements

Eligibility rules

To be eligible, echocardiography laboratories should meet the following requirements:

• Must have been established for at least 3 years
• Have at least the head, lead or a senior member of the laboratory holding an EACVI or mutually recognised individual certification in the modules applied for (except for SE), preferably at the time of applying (refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details)
• There is no restriction on the type of centres (private, university laboratories, etc.); all institutions can apply. 

Please note: Laboratories which achieve accreditation status may be selected at random for a visit from the committee to verify the information on their submitted documents. 

Language of submission

The application must be submitted in English.

The documents attached to the application must be the original ones (e.g. patient information leaflets, standard procedure documents, etc…). In case these original documents are in national language, they must be accompanied by English translations.

Please note that the English translation does not need to be officially certified but needs to be clear and understandable. The laboratory is responsible for issuing such translation. The original document must be compliant with the translated one. If it is not the case, we reserve the right to decline the application.

General rules

• The TTE module is mandatory in order to apply for any other module.
• A laboratory must be successful in TTE to receive accreditation in TOE or SE.
• To be eligible for advanced accreditation in TTE the head/s of the laboratory must be individually certified in TTE by EACVI or a mutually recognised organisation.
• The EACVI Committee Members may visit any EACVI accredited Laboratory to proceed with an on-site inspection and verification.

Applying for advanced accreditation does not guarantee being granted this grade. Your laboratory may receive a standard grade if it does not meet the requirements for advanced accreditation.

Process for applications

EACVI Laboratory accreditation applications must be submitted online and can be done at any time.

What happens after laboratories have submitted their application online?

• Once submitted, an application is no longer editable/modifiable. 
• Notify the accreditation office by email once you have completed your submission in full.  
• The application is first reviewed by the EACVI Accreditation Office for an administrative check. If the application is incomplete, the laboratory will be contacted and asked to supply missing information within one month's time.
• If your application is complete, it will be sent to the representative of the relevant National Society for review and recommendations. This process may take up to 2 months.
• In case some information is missing, you will be contacted by the EACVI Accreditation Office and asked to supply relevant information within one month's time.
• After review by the National Society, the EACVI Laboratory Accreditation Sub-Committee will review all applications and recommendations of the National Society. The final decisions process can take up to 2 months - longer if further information is requested.
• Upon completion of the review process, laboratories will be informed by email of the results of their application by the EACVI Accreditation Office.
• An EACVI Laboratory Accreditation Diploma will be awarded to successful institutions.

In order to start the accreditation process, please register.

Multiple sites accreditation

If two or more laboratories belong to the same legal entity (trust), the trust may apply for accreditation for part of its sites or or for all of its sites. 

Requirements

The trust will be requested to provide:

• A letter specifying:
  • the details of the sites that the trust intends to request accreditation for
  • the modalities for which every site wants to apply
  • the name of the contact person for the trust

This letter must be written on letterhead paper and manually or electronically signed by the responsible person (no typed signature)

• An accreditation application for every site, with the documentation corresponding to the modalities the site is applying for. Every site needs to comply with the accreditation criteria. 

The review process for each application remains the same as described above. 

At the end of the process, the trust will receive a letter indicating the accreditation modalities granted to each site and an accreditation certificate for each site. 

Fees

The trust can benefit from a specific fee for a multi-site accreditation request. 

A 20% discount will be applied to the total amount that all sites have to pay.

Example: if the accreditation includes 4 sites

• • • Site 1:
      • One modality: TTE – Accreditation fee: €417
    • Site 2:
      • Three modalities: TTE + TOE + SE – Accreditation fee: €833
    • Site 3:
      • Two modalities: TTE + TOE – Accreditation fee: €625
    • Site 4:
      • One modality: TTE – Accreditation fee: €417
    • TOTAL that all sites have to pay: €2,292 - with a 20% discount = €1,834

Reaccreditation

The accreditation is valid for 5 years. Find out more about the reaccreditation process.

Laboratories accredited by EACVI

EACVI Echo Accredited laboratories