Newfoundland becomes first province with full ISO imaging accreditation

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has become the first provincial health authority in Canada to achieve ISO 15189 Plus accreditation for medical imaging services across all 42 of its locations, according to Accreditation Canada Diagnostics.

A province-wide first

Accreditation Canada Diagnostics recognized Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services as the first provincial health authority in the country to reach the ISO 15189 Plus benchmark across every one of its 42 imaging sites. The accreditation body describes ISO 15189 Plus as a national benchmark tied to safe, consistent, and quality diagnostic services.

New accreditation requirements now in effect

The province-wide milestone comes as Accreditation Canada Diagnostics rolls out version 25.10 (October 2025) of its 15189 ISO Plus Diagnostic Imaging Requirements. Facilities notified of an upcoming accreditation assessment visit as of October 15, 2025 are being assessed against version 25.10. Enrolled facilities can access the new requirements, a change report comparing version 24.04 to version 25.10, and an updated list of references through the QView client portal.

Accreditation Canada Diagnostics has also indicated that the current versions of its Medical Laboratory Accreditation Requirements (Version 9.1) and Diagnostic Imaging Requirements (Version 25.10) will undergo a comprehensive review to reflect changes in referenced documents and current methodologies.

Governance context: new CEO and international role

The accreditation activity is unfolding under new leadership. The Health Standards Organization Board of Directors announced the appointment of Frédéric Abergel as Chief Executive Officer for both HSO and Accreditation Canada. In January 2026, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum combined to form Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, and Accreditation Canada Diagnostics Director Mayank Khanna was appointed to its Financial Audit Committee.

Why quality standards matter for capacity

The accreditation push arrives against a strained national imaging backdrop. The Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory 2022–2023 reports that most imaging equipment in Canada is more than five years old and at least one-third is more than 10 years old. The same report notes Canada sits in the bottom 30% of OECD countries in units per million population for CT, MRI, and PET-CT.

Wait-time pressures underscore the demand for consistent quality frameworks. In 2023, MRI wait times exceeded the recommended 30-day maximum target in all provinces for which data were available, with a national average wait of 90 days. CT wait times exceeded the 30-day target in every province with available data apart from Quebec, averaging 46 days nationally.

Coordinated national work continues

Separately, Canada's Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) has established a time-limited pan-Canadian Medical Imaging Task Force whose members will convene between November 2025 and November 2026 to identify high-priority issues and shape evidence priorities in medical imaging. The task force includes representatives from provincial and territorial ministries of health, radiology and nuclear medicine specialists, and patient and caregiver representatives.

Related coverage

• private MRI clinics in Alberta
• private MRI clinics in British Columbia
• private MRI clinics in Quebec
• MRI news

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

Sources

• Diagnostic Imaging (32)
• Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory 2022–2023 - NCBI - NIH
• The pan-Canadian Medical Imaging Task Force