Multiple Methodist locations earn echocardiography reaccreditations from IAC

Methodist Hospital, Methodist Fremont Health, the Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center, Methodist Physicians Clinic - Westroads and Methodist Physicians Clinic - Fremont Cardiology and Pulmonology, each received three-year reaccreditations from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for excellence in echocardiography.

Additionally, Methodist Fremont Health received accreditation for the first time in the area of transesophageal echocardiography, while Methodist Physicians Clinic - HealthWest earned first-time accreditation as a location.

“Earning our reaccreditation is really a collective teamwork effort from all of our Methodist locations,” said Kayla Lofgren, RDCS, lead sonographer at Methodist Fremont Health. “I’m so proud of the hard work from our sonographers and cardiologists here at Methodist Fremont Health. I’m especially excited for Fremont achieving our first accreditation in transesophageal echocardiogram! Thank you to the whole Cardiology team across the system for believing in our mission to provide patients with the best cardiology care.”

Every three-year cycle, accredited facilities undergo an intensive application and review process to re-earn accreditation. The IAC accreditation process, which includes a self-evaluation followed by a thorough review conducted by a panel of medical experts, enables both the critical operational and technical components of the applicant facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.

"We are proud to receive reaccreditation in echocardiography from the IAC,” said Stacie Alexander, RT(R), RDMS, RVT, RDCS, BS, a cardiovascular sonographer at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. “This achievement reflects our team’s unwavering commitment to meeting nationally recognized standards in patient care, diagnostic accuracy and quality improvement. It also highlights the dedication and expertise of our team. Being accredited allows patients to feel confident in knowing that they’re receiving care from a facility that has completed a comprehensive review process.”

Echocardiography, which is used to assess different areas of the heart, can detect cardiac conditions and heart disease – the fourth-highest cause of death in the U.S. IAC accreditation assesses the training and experience of the sonographer performing echocardiography, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics each facility is required to measure.

"Earning IAC accreditation is a significant accomplishment that reflects the hard work, collaboration and dedication of our entire echocardiography and cardiology teams,” said Jay Christensen, MA, RDCS, RVT, co-lead sonographer for the Methodist Hospital and Methodist Physicians Clinic echo and vascular sonography programs. “We are proud to be recognized for meeting nationally recognized standards for quality and patient care."

Below is a list of the areas of echocardiography reaccreditations each location received.

Methodist Fremont Health

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult transesophageal (new accreditation)
• Adult stress

Methodist Hospital

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult transesophageal
• Adult stress

Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult transesophageal
• Adult stress

Methodist Physicians Clinic - Fremont Cardiology and Pulmonology

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult stress

Methodist Physicians Clinic - HealthWest (new accreditation location)

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult stress

Methodist Physicians Clinic - Westroads

• Adult transthoracic
• Adult stress