Derry, New Hampshire – Parkland Medical Center’s Echocardiography Laboratory in Derry has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography in the areas of adult transthoracic, adult transesophageal and adult stress by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). The IAC also accredited Parkland Center for Cardiology at 31 Stiles Road in Salem for a three-year term in echocardiography.
Cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death in the United States. Early detection of life-threatening heart disease is possible through the use of echocardiography procedures performed within hospitals, outpatient centers and physicians’ offices.
While echocardiography tests are helpful, there are many facets that contribute to a precise diagnosis—the skill of the echocardiography sonographer performing the exam; the type of equipment used; the background and knowledge of the interpreting physician; and quality assurance measures are each critical to accurate patient testing.
“IAC accreditation is the ‘seal of approval’ that patients can rely on as an indication that Parkland’s Echocardiography Laboratory has been carefully evaluated on all aspects of its operations and has met or exceeded all the requirements set forth by the nation’s leading echocardiography accreditation institution,” stated Andrew Cohen, MD, FACC, medical director of Parkland Medical Center’s Echocardiography Lab and board certified in echocardiography.
Accreditation by the IAC means that Parkland Medical Center’s Echocardiography Laboratory has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review.
About the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)
IAC accreditation is widely respected within the medical community, as illustrated by the support of the national medical societies related to echocardiography, which includes physicians and sonographers. Echocardiography accreditation is required in some states and regions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and by some private insurers. To learn more about IAC, visit www.intersocietal.org/echo.