Accreditation Criteria
What are the training requirements for epilepsy center nurses?
Centers should have a pool of identified EMU nurses. Core nursing staff are staff that are approved to care for patients in the EMU on a recurring basis. We expect that your center’s EMU policy includes how your center defines the core nursing competencies for the EMU staff. NAEC [...]
Can a VNS battery change report meet the VNS surgical report requirement?
No, the VNS report that must be uploaded for accreditation is for a VNS stimulator insertion.
If our center has staff that work at EMUs at two different hospitals, can we combine the admissions to both EMUs for purposes of NAEC accreditation or should we apply for NAEC accreditation for each hospital separately?
NAEC accredits epilepsy centers, not EMUs. Typically, epilepsy centers only exist in a single hospital, therefore the admissions of a partner hospital should not be added to the first hospital. Two hospitals, even with some staff in common, should apply for NAEC accreditation independently, which also allows both hospitals [...]
If an adult EMU has two different locations within one hospital, do the two EMUs need to be certified independently (number of admissions, training certification, etc)?
NAEC accredits epilepsy centers, not EMUs. If there are two EMUs for one center and within one hospital and one institution, then they do not need to be accredited independently. Admissions, staff training, etc can be combined, as long as both are supervised by the same Medical Director using [...]
What does “access to” a service mean and are patient reports required for services listed as “access to”?
All accreditation criteria have been reviewed to determine whether centers should have access to the service (with a partner epilepsy center or outside medical provider) vs. the service should be provided onsite (within their epilepsy center or institution). Patient reports are still required for some services that are now [...]
What are training requirements for epileptologists?
The Epilepsy Center Medical Director must have and maintain at least one of these board certifications: ABPN epilepsy, ABPN clinical neurophysiology, ABCN clinical neurophysiology, or ABCN epilepsy monitoring. Pediatric centers must have a board-certified pediatric epileptologist who has ABPN Child Neurology in addition to one of the board certifications [...]
What are the requirements for monitor watchers/neurodiagnostic assistants?
Centers are required to have trained personnel dedicated to 24/7 to monitoring video and EEG. This requirement can be met by having staff take center-developed training or the ASET LTM 100: Introduction to Long Term Monitoring for EMU Personnel course. Centers should list the person who completed that course [...]
What are the requirements for center-developed training programs?
The EMU policy must include how all center staff (physicians, EEG technologists, nurses, monitor watchers, and any other relevant staff) are trained on EMU safety protocols. Training must be age-appropriate for the patient community served by the center. EEG Techs, EMU Nurses, and Monitor Watchers should receive training in [...]
What are the general requirements for training for center staff?
Centers will be required to have a majority of all of their core staff trained– i.e., epileptologists, EEG techs, epilepsy nurses, monitor watchers. This can be accomplished through a center-developed training program or through other programs recognized by NAEC and included in the accreditation instructions. Centers must provide documentation [...]
Would a patient report for recording using foramen ovale electrodes meet the requirement for intracranial VEEG reports?
No, foramen ovale electrodes with other intracranial grid or depth electrode placement are not sufficient for a Phase II intracranial monitoring evaluation.
