(Madera, California) – As one of the first facilities accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography, Valley Children’s has joined an elite group honored with the 25-year Silver Accreditation Milestone for demonstrating a continued commitment to offering quality patient care. This milestone makes Valley Children’s the only hospital – adult and pediatric – in the state with a 25-year silver level accreditation of excellence for echocardiography.
“We are honored to be recognized by the IAC for a quarter of a century of continuous accreditation,” says Pediatric Cardiology Medical Director Dr. Carl Owada. “This accreditation marks our unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality of care for our patients.”
An ultrasound or echocardiogram of the heart is the primary tool used by cardiologists to diagnose and manage kids with congenital heart defects. The purpose of the IAC is to help cardiology facilities standardize their processes to provide better patient care and thus improved outcomes. Accreditation is awarded to those facilities that demonstrate consistent image quality and patient safety.
More than 2,800 facilities across the U.S. and Canada are currently accredited in adult or pediatric echocardiography by the IAC. Valley Children’s is one out of only 46 currently accredited facilities that qualify for the 25-year Silver Accreditation Milestone.
“We have always been committed to the quality of patient care and outcomes,” added Dr. Owada. “This recognition is a testament to our staff who continue to provide extraordinary care to kids today, just as we have over the past six decades.”
Valley Children’s has been a pioneer of heart care in the Central Valley for more than 60 years. They had the first cardiac catheterization laboratory and were the first to use cardiopulmonary bypass (known as the heart-lung machine) in the late 1950s.
This designation is one of many distinguished recognitions Valley Children’s has received that reinforce the pediatric healthcare network’s commitment to excellence. In addition to again being named one of the Best Children’s Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report in six pediatric specialties, Valley Children’s was the first children’s hospital west of the Rockies to receive Magnet Nursing designation, the highest nursing benchmark in the world. Valley Children’s is also part of a noble group of only 16 centers worldwide named as a Designated Platinum Center of Excellence by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) for providing lifesaving treatment for failing heart and/or lung function.