Lower Keys Medical Center Recognized for Quality Patient Care in Echocardiography Echo Lab Achieves Reaccreditation by Intersocietal Accreditation Commission

2/7/2025

The Lower Keys Medical Center Echo Lab has been granted a three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area of adult transthoracic, the most commonly performed echocardiogram. This latest reaccreditation demonstrates the hospital’s ongoing commitment to providing quality patient care in echocardiography.

Adult transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), is a non-invasive, painless diagnostic tool that uses ultrasound waves to create detailed pictures of the heart’s structure by moving a transducer to different areas on the outside of your chest or abdomen. An echocardiogram, commonly known as “echo,” can be used to help doctors evaluate the heart’s function, detect heart disease, monitor the effectiveness of heart treatments and guide surgical interventions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. On average, one American dies every 34 seconds of cardiovascular disease-disorders of the heart and blood vessels.

There are many factors that contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography. The training and experience of the sonographer performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics each facility is required to measure, all contribute to a positive patient outcome. IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indicator of consistent quality care and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Accreditation by the IAC means that Lower Keys Medical Center Echo Lab has undergone an intensive application and review process and is found to be in compliance with the published Standards thus demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography. Comprised of a detailed self-evaluation followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation process enables both the critical operational and technical components of the applicant facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.

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