Multiple cardiovascular centers associated with the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) have re-earned the industry gold standard in echocardiography accreditation.
Cardiovascular Diagnostic Centers at UM Shore Medical Centers at Chestertown and Easton, and at Shore Medical Pavilions at Cambridge, Easton and Queenstown, have earned renewed three-year Echocardiography Reaccreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). UM SRH has been accredited through the IAC since 1991, earning it the Bronze distinction of being accredited for 20 consecutive years. The Bronze distinction also recognizes UM SRH’s continued commitment to improvement and quality patient care in echocardiography.
According to Melissa Svehla, Manager, Cardiovascular Services, UM Shore Regional Health, “We are proud to have been a part of this program since the IAC’s inception. This is truly a testament to the dedication of our entire team and the pride each team member takes in providing the best care to our patients.”
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, the fourth highest cause of death.
Photo: Shown with echocardiography equipment are Bruce Helmly, MD, Medical Director, Non-invasive Cardiovascular Diagnostics, UM Shore Regional Health; Melissa Svehla,Manager, Cardiovascular Services, UM Shore Regional Health; and Hilary Schmitt MBA, BSN, RN, Regional Director, Heart and Vascular Center at UM Shore Regional Health.
“Twenty years of accreditation underscores our long-term commitment to provide the highest quality service to the community,” said Bruce Helmly, MD, Medical Director, Non-invasive Cardiovascular Diagnostics, UM Shore Regional Health.“More than 20 years ago, the original Chesapeake Cardiology group began working with Gary Jones, then-director of Cardio-Pulmonary Services for Shore Regional Health to offer echocardiography services for our patients. And together, along with Melissa Svehla, we have built an outstanding high-quality service for communities throughout the five counties of the Eastern Shore that UM Shore Regional Health serves.”
IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on. This reaccreditation signifies that all five facilities have undergone an intensive application and review process and have demonstrated a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography, including accuracy and equipment standards.
The IAC is a nonprofit organization in operation to evaluate and accredit facilities that provide diagnostic imaging and interventional-based procedures, thus improving the quality of patient care provided in private offices, clinics and hospitals. Committed to its mission through a rigorous peer review process, the IAC has granted accreditation to more than 14,000 sites since its inception in 1991.
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
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