Lots of new additions to CardioServ this year – new faces, new software and even new exercise equipment! Also, learn about important changes to accreditation guidelines coming up in the next couple of months and see our favorite blog posts this year.
Angela, Dr. Janardhanan, Judith, Joanne and Rhiannon
TEE Probe Leak Test: TEE Probe Leak Test becomes mandatory on December 31, 2015. IAC is requiring that the structural and electrical integrity of the transducer must be checked between each use. According to the new standard, you must record “passed” or “failed” in the routine TEE probe maintenance log along with action taken if “failed.” Learn more on performing the leakage test as well as how a local facility implemented it on our blog post.
IAC Changes: The IAC has released updates to adult echo and vascular testing accreditation becoming effective February 2016. For adult echo standards, the Testamur status is now preferred, not required, for medical directors. Quality improvement (QI) meeting requirements have been reduced to twice a year. Clinical correlation is now an annual measure instead of quarterly. Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) has changed to “Test Appropriateness” and is based on new terminology.
The quality improvement measures for Vascular accreditation have completely changed. They will now be more aligned with the QI measures for adult echo. The biggest change, and much appreciated, was the decrease of clinical correlations from thirty (30) per testing area down to just two (2) per testing area! In addition, new measures were added to include report review, peer review and two QI meetings a year. Report review will include checking reports for test appropriateness. For a more detailed review of the changes, read our post here.
Stay tuned in January for our blog series on Quality Improvement Measures with tips to save you time!
We believe in the process of accreditation to improve the quality of diagnostic imaging. By using our experience and innovative process we will help you achieve the recognition of accreditation with quality and ease.
We offer full service accreditation as well as delayed status, audit assistance and QI maintenance plans for echo, nuclear, vascular, vein center, MRI and CT modalities. We are passionate about what we do and are happy to provide a free consultation to review your specific accreditation needs. Schedule a consultation now to get some accreditation advice!
Our most recent blog post features a full echocardiographic assessment of a patient with pulmonary hypertension, including new guidelines on estimating right atrial pressure.
Great case study with follow up discussion on potential diagnosis of an echocardiogram showing a large right atrium and obliteration of the right ventricular apex.
In 2010, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission added a new requirement that all accredited labs must have a policy in place to address technical staff safety, comfort and avoidance of work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). However, we rarely address the issue that sonographers are already scanning in pain! In this blog post we teamed up the guys from Live Pain Free: The Right Moves. They show you exercises on relieving neck and shoulder pain.
Focused ultrasound has continuously made headlines this year – from its FDA approval for prostate tissue ablations to breaking the blood-brain barrier. Current research and clinical trials in development for applications of focused ultrasound are underway for numerous cardiovascular diseases. These include hypertension, atherosclerosis, deep vein thrombosis and atrial fibrillation. Read more here.
Remember to follow us on Facebook for continuous cardiovascular accreditation news and CMEs. Happy New Years from CardioServ!
