Fundamentals of ICANL accreditation.

The Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL) has become a nationally recognized accreditation program with the primary goal of providing a multidisciplinary peer review program. The purpose of this paper is to review the structure and mission of the ICANL to help increase awareness of the importance of voluntary accreditation. Included is a broad review of the ICANL standards and their relationship to other nationally published standards and guidelines. A mandatory site visit is an integral part of the program, and specifics of the site visit are discussed along with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of applicant laboratories. The benefits of voluntary accreditation will become clear as more facilities participate in the program.