What is AIUM Accreditation? Why Does it Matter?

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) accreditation is a voluntary peer-review process that involves a thorough evaluation of all aspects of an ultrasound practice.

To become AIUM certified, the entire practice is reviewed in detail, including physician qualifications and training, physical facilities, the ultrasound machines, the detailed instructions (protocols) for performing each ultrasound test, the policies in place for safeguarding the health and safety of every patient who has an ultrasound examination, and much more.

The AIUM is made up of professionals with a special interest and skills in quality ultrasound. Their goal is to provide health care facilities with the detailed specifications—based on nationally accepted standards—and the tools they need to perform ultrasound procedures accurately and consistently.

To achieve AIUM certification, a practice must show that their office has all of these pieces in place. The accreditation process also includes a review of actual case studies (images) to see that they are complete, detailed, technically acceptable, and accurately reported. AIUM also makes sure that the entire team has the skills and expertise to provide quality ultrasound to each and every patient. Each sonographer in an AIUM practice must be certified by an eminent body like the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS).

All physicians in the practice must also show that they have received advanced training in the interpretation and evaluation of findings in the developing fetus, something that can only be gained through residency or fellowship in diagnostic ultrasound, like a Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship.