The Clinical Center’s Center for Interventional Oncology has earned accreditation from the International Accreditation System for Interventional Oncology Services (IASIOS).
IASIOS assesses and certifies quality standards in interventional oncology services across the entire patient care pathway, using benchmarks developed by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe.
“Accreditation requires our team and this facility to meet high-bar metrics, particularly in patient safety,” said Cynthia Vasco, DNP, an acute care nurse practitioner in Interventional Radiology in the NIH Clinical Center's Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences.
Vasco led the 18-month accreditation effort on behalf of the Center for Interventional Oncology, in collaboration with founder Dr. Brad Wood and other Clinical Center staff.
“What I discovered is, we’re pretty good at what we do already,” Vasco said.
Interventional oncology is a rapidly growing subspecialty of interventional radiology that uses advanced imaging to diagnose and treat various cancers using minimally invasive techniques.
IASIOS accreditation focuses on four key areas: pre-procedural patient safety, procedural outcome data collection, post-procedural follow-up, and a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to care.
“IASIOS encourages multidisciplinary team meetings to ensure the best experience and safety for patients,” Vasco noted, emphasizing the value of collaborative discussions among all stakeholders. “It was kind of a proud point—we’re masters at this at NIH.”
Vasco said IASIOS accreditation is likely to become an increasingly valued marker of quality in future Joint Commission evaluations.
-Sean Markey