MOULTRIE — The cardiology department at Colquitt Regional Medical Center has been granted echocardiography accreditation in recognition of its commitment to high quality patient care and quality diagnostic testing making it the only lab in this area to have earned the accreditation.

The accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) signifies that Colquitt Regional’s lab has been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the laboratory’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.

“Earning this accreditation is our effort to be the best in South Georgia, said CRMC cardiologist Dr. David Waller. “This is a nationally recognized benchmark setting our lab above the others.”

Echocardiography is a technique of imaging that requires a high level of training and experience by both the physician and sonographer. Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and sonographer. Their interpretive and technical abilities determine the diagnostic accuracy of the echocardiographic examination.

“The purpose of the accreditation is to ensure high quality patient care and to promote health care by providing a mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations,” according to the ICAEL. “While completing the accreditation application, laboratories often identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality assurance programs and because accreditation is renewed every three years, a long-term commitment to quality and self-assessment is developed and maintained.”

“We are very excited to have earned this accreditation,” Waller said, “because it is only given to labs that have demonstrated the highest level of quality. Before granting the accreditation, the agency monitored the quality of our equipment, the quality and consistency of study and the timeliness of reporting while also making sure the studies are supervised by current, well-trained medical directors and technicians.”

According to the ICAEL, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming one American every 32 seconds and resulting in $83.7 billion in health costs each year.

Echocardiographic testing is useful in the detection and management of many types of heart disease. The noninvasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in the United States