NEWTON - Newton Memorial’s Echocardiography Laboratory recently earned re-accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL).

This accreditation makes the Hospital’s Echocardiography Laboratory one of a growing number of echocardiography laboratories in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to be recognized for its commitment to quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing.

Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary and this marks the second time that the echocardiography lab in the Charles L. Tice Heart Center for Diagnostic Services has received ICAEL accreditation. It signifies that the Heart Center has been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the echo lab’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.

“Earning this accreditation demonstrates the Hospital’s commitment to providing leading edge care from the Heart Center, where echocardiograms are performed,” said Tim Brewer, Clinical Director of the Heart center. “The staff works so hard to ensure that this level of diagnostic service is available to them without having to drive long distances.”

One American dies every 32 seconds of cardiovascular disease, disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Information regarding cardiac structure, function and blood flow through the heart provided by echocardiographic testing is useful in the diagnosis and management of many types of heart disease and abnormalities.

The non-invasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed each year in the U.S. Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and sonographer, whose interpretive and technical abilities determine the accuracy of the examinations.

For more information of the cardiac services available at the Charles L. Tice Heart Center for Diagnostic Services, please go to http://www.nmhnj.org/HeartCenter_Diagnostic.aspx 

PHOTO CAPTION: Members of the Echocardiography Laboratory at the Charles L. Tice Heart Center for Diagnostic Services pose with a recent accreditation from Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). Pictured are Osler J. Guzon, M.D., a cardiologist who is the Director of Echocardiography at the Heart Center, Nina McGrath (center), a cardiac technician and Jamie Rinaldi, an echocardiograph technician.