Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s Cardiovascular Services has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography in the area of adult transthoracic by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

Accreditation by the IAC means that Henry Mayo 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.

“I see this accreditation as further evidence of our commitment to quality,” said Jean Marie Stewart, senior director of Cardiovascular Services at Henry Mayo. “I’m proud of the focus and commitment of the staff and physicians on the team, and I am grateful for the support of administration for making it all possible for us to continue creating the most comprehensive adult cardiovascular program.”

This accreditation was the result of hard work of the Henry Mayo’s entire echocardiography staff and physicians championed by Douglas Gadowski, MD, medical director of Non-invasive Cardiology, Shahe Garabedian, MD, medical director of ICAEL, and Mimi Kim, technical director.

IAC accreditation is widely respected within the medical community, as illustrated by the support of the national medical societies related to echocardiography, which include 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. Patients should remain vigilant in making sure that their echocardiography procedures are performed within accredited facilities, because for many facilities accreditation remains a voluntary process.

Early detection of life threatening heart disorders and other diseases is possible through the use of echocardiography procedures performed within hospitals, outpatient centers and physicians’ offices. While these tests are helpful, there are many facets that contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography testing. The skill of the echocardiography sonographer performing the examination, the type of equipment used, the background and knowledge of the interpreting physician and quality assurance measures are each critical to quality patient testing.

Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. On average, one American dies every 39 seconds of cardiovascular disease – disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The American Heart Association estimates that the direct and indirect cost for cardiovascular disease in the U.S. for 2010 was $503.2 billion.

To learn more, visit www.intersocietal.org/echo/main/patients.htm.

ABOUT HENRY MAYO

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is a 238- bed not-for-profit acute care hospital serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1975. Henry Mayo is an Advanced Primary Stroke Center and a STEMI Receiving Center. The hospital features state-of-the-art Inpatient facilities, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Catheterization Lab, Infusion Center, Breast Imaging Center and an Outpatient Surgery Center. Additional services include cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, maternity, surgery, nursing, wound care, spine and joint, behavioral health, and acute rehab, as well as cancer, imaging, lab, digestive, respiratory services and physical and occupational therapies. Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is located at 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2083. For more information, visit www.henrymayo.com or call (661) 253-8000.