Frequently Asked Questions
Why should we go through the trouble of having our lab accredited?
To demonstrate to patients, your colleagues, physician staff, and payors that you do quality work in conformance with established guidelines, and because you’re proud of your work and your institution.
What standards does LAB of ABRET use to judge the adequacy of submitted EEGs?
The Technical Standards listed in the LAB application. These are based on ACNS Guidelines, available for review at www.acns.org.
What is the cost of accreditation?
$75 with the initial application, and $950 when the data is submitted. There currently is no annual maintenance fee.
We have more than one campus in our large medical system with several EEG labs. Do they all need separate accreditation, even though we share policies and staff?
Yes, labs in separate locations, even within one health system, each need to be accredited. If the staff, policies/procedures, and medical director are the same for all locations, then the initial application and $75 fees needs to be submitted only once. The other locations will need to submit their data along the with review fee ($950 for each lab).
Is a site visit required?
No, LAB of ABRET does not do site visits at this time. This is one of the main reasons the cost of EEG lab accreditation is quite low.
What is the accreditation period?
Five years.
What do we receive after we succeed?
A beautifully framed certificate (additional copies available from ABRET) and a Press Kit to help you publicize your accomplishment! LAB also publishes the names of successful labs on the ABRET website, along with photos of the staff with their certificates (if labs wish to submit photos). The American Journal of ElectroneurodiagnosticTechnology regularly publishes a list of accredited labs. A press release will be sent by LAB of ABRET to your local Epilepsy Foundation chapter.
Do the EEG techs have to be registered?
At least one technologist in the lab must have the R. EEG T. or R.E.T. (Canadian) credential.
Does our lab Medical Director have to be a neurophysiologist or Board Certified by ABCN?
No. Any licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) may serve as Medical Director and the clinical EEGs must be interpreted by licensed physicians.
How many records to we have to submit for review?
Five, 3 of which the applicant labs selected, and 2 of which are randomly selected by ABRET.
How many copies of our selected Policies and Procedures do we need to submit?
You may upload your files to ShareFile. A link may be obtained from ABRET.
If you are sending your policies on CD or USB drive, please send two.
Should we submit our entire Policy and Procedure Manual?
No, just the limited sections specified on the application. The LAB of ABRET reviewers (and the US Postal Service) should not be burdened with extraneous materials.
ABRET has requested the last record performed in January, 2014, but that record is an LTM recording. What should we do?
Send the next routine EEG done following the study requested, along with a note explaining why it’s the first record in February, 2014 instead of the last record of January, 2014.
We sometimes do unattended EEG monitoring the ICU. May we submit a portion for lab accreditation?
Only routine attended records (with real time technologist annotations, montage changes and activation) are to be sent for review.
We run all of our EEGs on one montage. Is this a problem for lab accreditation?
Yes. Technologists in accredited labs are expected make real-time decisions while recording. This includes selecting appropriate montages, as stipulated in the ACNS Guidelines. Submitting a record run on only one montage does not meet ACNS Guidelines and is an automatic failure.
What are some common problems with submitted EEG records?
Some common problems have been:
Inadequate documentation and annotation of patient events.
Artifacts not monitored or corrected.
Continuous use of the 60Hz notch filter with no explanation of its necessity.
Inappropriately high or low sensitivities obscuring physiologic waveforms.
Inadequate or missing patient history.
Records less than 20 minutes in duration.
Records not adhering to the lab’s own policies.
Not recording or documenting patient’s maximum state of awareness.
Failing to obtain or attempt sleep on a patient with suspected seizures.
Poor montage selection (contamination, end of chain, etc.)
Missing chains of electrodes.
No testing during epileptiform discharges
Behavioral state never identified
Inadequate or lack of interaction with the patient
Is LAB of ABRET recognized by other organizations?
The LAB of ABRET process is endorsed by the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) and ASET-The Neurodiagnostic Society.