title: Continuous improvement in national ART standards by the RTAC accreditation system in Australia and New Zealand.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics in Australia and New Zealand are accredited and licensed against a Code of Practice audited by certifying bodies accredited by the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ). The system is administered by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) of the Fertility Society of Australia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the incidence of variances and findings identified by certifying bodies in Australian and New Zealand ART clinics within the currency of a single version of the Code of Practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of certifying body findings against the RTAC Code of Practice incorporating 15 Critical Criteria audited annually and 16 Good Practice Criteria including a Quality Management System audited over a three year cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of clinics with variances against the Critical Criteria fell from 77 to 14% over two years, as did the mean number of variances per clinic which fell from 1.54 to 0.14.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implementation of the RTAC accreditation system in Australia and New Zealand has contributed to steady improvement in standards and a reduction in risk in ART treatments.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peek
authors.affiliation: Fertility Society of Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: Fertility Society of Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bowman
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D058996:Quality Improvement; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: accreditation; assisted reproductive technique; code of practice; continuous quality management