AGH Vascular Lab Earns Echocardiography Reaccreditation

BERLIN, Md. – Echocardiography is used to assess different areas of the heart and can detect heart disease or signs of serious conditions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, followed closely by stroke as the fourth highest cause of death. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), more than 2,150 Americans die each day from cardiovascular disease which

amounts to about one every 40 seconds.

There are many factors that contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography. The training and experience of the sonographer performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics each facility is required to measure, all contribute to a positive patient outcome. IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indicator

of consistent quality care and a dedication to continuous improvement.

Atlantic General Hospital Vascular Laboratory has been granted an additional three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area(s) of Adult Transthoracic. This latest accreditation awarded to Atlantic General Hospital Vascular Laboratory demonstrates the facility’s ongoing commitment to providing quality patient care in echocardiography.

Accreditation by the IAC means that Atlantic General Hospital Vascular Laboratory has undergone an intensive application and review process and is found to be compliance with the published Standards thus demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography.

Composed of a detailed self-evaluation followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation process enables both the critical operational and technical components of the applicant facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.

Atlantic General Hospital

Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) counties since May 1993. Built by the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility in Berlin, Md. combines old-fashioned personal attention with the latest in technology and services. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 25 primary care provider and specialist offices, care for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org.

About IAC

IAC provides accreditation programs for vascular testing, echocardiography, nuclear/PET, MRI, diagnostic CT, dental CT, carotid stenting, vein treatment and management and cardiac electrophysiology. The IAC programs for accreditation are dedicated to ensuring quality patient care and promoting health care and all support one common mission: Improving health care through accreditation®. IAC accreditation is widely respected in the medical community, as illustrated by the support of the national medical societies related to echocardiography, which include physicians and sonographers. To date, the IAC accrediting divisions have granted accreditation to more than 14,000 sites throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.