The OAR's Canadian Bone Mineral Densitometry (CBMD) Facility Accreditation is recognized as the "Gold Standard" of BMD Accreditation for Ontario hospitals and clinics providing BMD services to Ontario patients at risk of the debilitating effects of bone loss and osteoporosis. Accreditation signifies to the public that the facility BMD equipment, BMD technologists and the services they provide, and the physicians reporting DXA scan results have met the rigorous standards set by the CBMD Program.

Every Ontario facility providing BMD services is encouraged to seek CBMD Facility Accreditation. The benefits to facilities begin with the commitment to a standard of excellence for BMD testing to ensure optimum patient care.

The OAR CBMD Facility Accreditation Program continues to evolve to ensure that accredited sites provide the highest standard of BMD services in Canada. It also continues to recognize DXA scanning as an area of imaging requiring additional ongoing investment in QA/QC to further the diagnostic needs of patients.

Stages of Osteoporosis

The New Online CBMD Facility Accreditation Program

The CBMD team has developed as a two-pronged program – a facility quality control and quality assurance program and a continuing education component for medical specialists reporting BMD and the technologists providing BMD services.

The new online program is the latest evolution of this vital QA/QC initiative. The primary goals are to:

• Accredit every BMD site in Ontario and BMD sites outside of Ontario committed to meeting the CBMD standards
• Continue mandatory involvement of qualified medical physicists who play a vital role in ensuring QA/QC
• Keep accreditation costs consistent with Mammography Accreditation
• Work closely with referring family physicians
• Encourage every BMD technologist in Ontario (and those in other jurisdictions who may seek CBMD Facility Accreditation) to obtain Accredited Densitometry Technologist (ADT) designation as ADT designation is a mandatory requirement for CBMD Accreditation
• Continue to enhance educational programming for both reporting imaging physicians and technologists providing BMD services since there can be NO accreditation without education.

The core elements of CBMD Facility Accreditation remain unchanged. They include standardized reporting for BMD; a uniform standard for QA/QC; mandatory involvement of medical physicists and ongoing education as a cornerstone of accreditation.

Improved Educational Programming for Reading Physicians & Technologists

A core part of the educational programming is focused on acknowledging and understanding the vital partnership between imaging physicians and technologists and promoting the enhanced joint-education of both whenever possible and appropriate.

• The OAR CBMD team will continue to work with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) to ensure that it provides the highest standard of BMD educational training in Canada for reporting physicians and technologists providing BMD services
• Physicians and technologists now have separate CBMD programs dedicated to topics relevant to their educational needs
• CBMD has documented that the highest grades on written and practicum submissions were achieved by those technologists working at previously accredited sites
• The OAR is preparing a CME workstation case-study workshop and on-line case studies
• Developed hands-on positioning workshops; courses on developing QA/QC programs for technologists
• More than 300 technologists from sites across Canada have already earned their ADT designation

Standard Reporting Tool for Physicians

To further enhance physician reporting of BMD, the OAR has developed a standard reporting tool based on the CAR's reporting guideline that will be introduced in 2015. This will ensure consistency of reporting and will take accreditation to a new level in Canada.

Why Every BMD Technologist Needs CBMD Accredited Densitometry Technologist (ADT) Designation!

The ADT was developed and introduced in 2010 as part of the CBMD's commitment to continually improve training and review and enhance standards of operation relating to patient care.

• The CBMD ADT Program is a low-cost, high quality made-in-Canada program especially designed for BMD technologists
• Program reflects the needs of our publicly funded health care system, as well as economic restraints and the high cost of training available outside the country
• CBMD has documented that the highest grades on written and practicum submissions were achieved by those technologists working at previously accredited sites
• OAR's CBMD ADT is the only BMD accreditation program for technologists in Canada

Join the growing ranks of hospitals and facilities that have already earned CBMD Facility Accreditation and register your site now.