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One American dies every 32 seconds from cardiovascular disease, disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, costing society over 83.7 billion dollars each year in health services, medications and lost work time due to disability. Cardiac structure and blood flow information provided by echocardiographic testing is useful in the detection and management of many types of heart disease. This painless, noninvasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in this country.

Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and education of both the physician and technologist (sonographer). Their interpretive and technical abilities determine the diagnostic accuracy of an echocardiographic examination. The Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) has developed an accreditation program which evaluates the quality of these and other critical elements of an echocardiography laboratory.

Hudson Valley Heart Center’s Echocardiography Laboratory, located in Poughkeepsie, NY, was recently granted accreditation by the ICAEL. This laboratory is one of the first one thousand echocardiography laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing.

The ICAEL was established with the support of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation. A non-profit organization, the ICAEL is dedicated to ensuring high quality patient care and to promoting health care.

Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary. The Heart Center’s accreditation 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 cardiovascular disease.