May 5, 2008 - The echocardiography laboratories at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota with Children's Heart Clinic received national accreditation in pediatric transthoracic echocardiography from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL), in recognition of its quality care and diagnostic testing.
The laboratories are part of Children's Cardiovascular Services, a collaboration with Children's Heart Clinic. Children's labs are the first and only in Minnesota to receive such accreditation.
The distinction recognizes Children's for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing. The rigorous accreditation process is achieved through a peer review of staff credentials, policies and protocols for daily operations, and a review of actual case studies in order to verify compliance with the highest-quality procedures.
"We are honored to be the first labs in Minnesota to receive this national distinction," said Greg Wright, M.D., Children's chief of Critical Care and Children's Heart Clinic cardiologist. "It is such a testament to the commitment of our cardiologists and sonographers to provide the highest quality diagnostic care to the children we serve."
The ICAEL was established with the support of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE). It provides accreditation through a voluntary, peer-review process to recognize health care organizations that provide quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations.
For more information: www.childrensheartclinic.org