Bassett Healthcare Announces New Laboratory Accreditations

The echocardiography laboratories at Bassett Healthcare Network’s five hospitals have earned reaccreditation; all have been continuously accredited for the past six years.

Echocardiography is used to assess different areas of the heart and can detect heart disease or signs of serious conditions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, followed closely by stroke as the fourth highest cause of death. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), more than 2,150 Americans die each day from cardiovascular disease, which amounts to about one every 40 seconds.

Many factors contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography. The training and experience of the sonographer performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics each facility is required to measure, all contribute to a positive patient outcome. Accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indicator of consistent quality care and a dedication to continuous improvement.

Bassett Healthcare Network’s echocardiography programs at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, Fox Hospital (program located at FoxCare Center) in Oneonta, O’Connor Hospital in Delhi, Cobleskill Regional Hospital and Little Falls Hospital have all been granted a three-year term of accreditation in Echocardiography by the IAC. The accreditation includes the area(s) of adult stress, adult transesophageal, and adult transthoracic. This latest accreditation awarded to Bassett Healthcare echocardiography programs demonstrates the facility’s ongoing commitment to providing quality patient care in echocardiography.

“Heart disease is prevalent in the rural eight-county region served by Bassett Healthcare Network,” notes Dr. David Oxley, senior attending physician, cardiovascular services. “We need all the tools at our disposal to be able to detect and treat this condition in our patients. However, the tools are only as good as the professionals using them and our pursuit of continual echocardiography accreditation by the IAC is evidence of our dedication to providing the best care we can for our patients.”

Accreditation by the IAC means that Bassett Healthcare’s echocardiography laboratories have undergone an intensive application and review process. All were found to be in compliance with published standards, thus demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography. Comprised of a detailed self-evaluation followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation process enables both the critical operational and technical components of the applicant facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.