BroMenn Echocardiography Labs Receive Accreditation

The echocardiography laboratories at three BroMenn Healthcare System entities were each recently granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL).

The echocardiography laboratories at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Eureka Community Hospital and Illinois Heart and Lung Associates (in Normal and Pontiac) are three of the first 1000 such labs in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for their high quality patient care and their provision of quality diagnostic testing. Accred-itation status signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the laboratory's commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.

One American dies every 32 seconds of cardiovascular disease.  Cardiac structure and flow information provided by echocardiographic testing is useful in the detection and management of many types of heart disease.  This noninvasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology, with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in the U.S.  Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and sonographer.  Their interpretive and technical abilities determine the diagnostic accuracy of an echocardiographic examination.  The ICAEL has developed a voluntary three-year accreditation program which evaluates the quality of these and other critical elements of an echocardiography laboratory.