- Annual submission of cycle-specific clinic outcome data to the SART Registry, verified by Medical Director, with permission to disclose such data to the public and to allow data to be validated. Approximately 8-10% of reporting clinics are validated each year.
- Accreditation of the Embryology Laboratory every two years by CAP or Joint Commission.
- The Medical Director of any new practice must be REI subspecialty certified by ABOG, an active candidate for subspecialty certification, or grandfathered in by having been Medical Director of a SART member practice prior to 1/1/2000.
- Effective January 1, 2006, all ART Laboratory Directors must meet uniform criteria. Physicians not currently Lab Directors must complete the RE fellowship training in the Lab Director track, attain sufficient hands-on experience to meet ASRM/SART guidelines and pass a certification exam administered by ABB. Nondoctoral lab directors and physicians serving as Lab Directors prior to 1/1/2006 may continue to serve in this capacity. Nondoctoral Lab Directors need to have been serving as director prior to July 20, 1999.
- Adherence to all ASRM/SART Guidelines including ethical, practice, advertising, and laboratory.
- Fulfillment of all financial obligations regarding dues and fees.
- Continued provision of IVF services. Active members must perform a minimum of 20 follicular aspirations and/or transfers annually.
The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) sets national standards for IVF care in the U.S. SART members must adhere to strict medical, laboratory, and ethical guidelines, including the ASRM Practice and Ethics Guidelines. Clinics are required to report and validate annual pregnancy outcome data through audits with the CDC and maintain regular lab accreditation. For insurers, SART membership signals a clinic’s commitment to quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and consistent, evidence-based care — reducing risk and ensuring patient protection.
To ensure that a patient receives high quality care, they should seek a doctor who has attained SART membership. The purpose of SART is to set the standards for the practice of IVF by providing its members with strict guidelines that optimize reproductive care for patients.
SART is the professional society for doctors and laboratory scientists who work together as a team to provide services in assisted reproduction. It is an affiliated society to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). SART is the place for these professionals to share information and experience. Many SART members meet on a regular basis at the annual ASRM meeting.
SART has rigorous requirements for membership. SART members must agree to:
- Report all their pregnancy data yearly. These data are subject to validation (a modified audit) by a team comprised of the CDC and the SART validation committee. This validation includes a site visit to the SART member’s clinic and review of the medical records.
- Embryo laboratory inspection and certification every two years by an outside agency, usually the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) or the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
- Abide by all practice, laboratory, ethical, and advertising guidelines.
- All new practices must have a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist as medical director.
Patients seeking IVF services can be reassured that a SART member has satisfied these rigorous requirements.
SART data is typically published in the spring for the previous year.
(202) 863-4985
sart@asrm.org