Nemours Echocardiography Lab Receives Accreditation
Pensacola, Florida
Monday, June 25, 2007 @ 01:08 PM EDT
by: Cortney Owens
Phone: (850) 505-4739
cowens@nemours.org
Thousands of infants born each year are diagnosed with having congenital cardiovascular defects. In order to diagnose and treat these children, specialized pediatric echocardiography laboratories are needed. The echocardiography lab at Nemours Children's Clinic in Pensacola, FL joins the ranks of Shands Hospital, University of Florida at Jacksonville, Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Miami Children's Hospital and St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa as now being recognized as an accredited pediatric and fetal echocardiography laboratory.
The Echocardiology Lab in the Cardiology Division at Nemours Pensacola was recently granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). The Nemours echo lab is one of six accredited pediatric labs in the state of Florida, as well as the only one on the panhandle, to be recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing.
Cardiac structure and flow information provided by echocardiographic testing is useful in the detection and management of many types of heart disease and defects. Echocardiography is a noninvasive complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and sonographer. Nemours Pensacola employs four pediatric cardiologists and three sonographers who are highly trained in pediatric echocardiography.
"This accreditation shows that we are dedicated to quality, pediatric cardiac care by complying with the rigorous standards put out by ICAEL. Children with heart problems or with any chronic illness need to get specialized pediatric care," says Mary Mehta, MD, pediatric cardiologist at Nemours Pensacola.
About ICAEL
The ICAEL was established with the support of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiography 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. More information can be found at www.intersocietal.org
modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 @ 10:29 AM EST
created: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 @ 01:22 PM EDT
About Nemours
Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.
Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.
Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.
