Published on August 29, 2011

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Receives Awards for Quality Care to Vascular Patients

Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) Recognizes Highest Standards for Noninvasive Vascular Testing

Rockville, MD – Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s Vascular Laboratory has achieved accreditations by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) for its noninvasive vascular testing in the areas of carotid ultrasound and venous ultrasound. These accreditations recognize Shady Grove Adventist’s delivery of quality care and testing to vascular patients.

“We are pleased to achieve the ICAVL accreditations, which reflect the hard work and skill of our physicians, ultrasound technologists and staff to assure the people in our community who face vascular conditions receive the best care,” said Dennis Hansen, president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.

The ICAVL accreditation is considered the “gold standard” for vascular laboratories. In order to achieve the accreditation, hospitals must meet or exceeded ICAVL standards for testing, based on a rigorous assessment and review process of patient care and daily lab operations.

“ICAVL accreditation highlights the effort that Shady Grove is making to achieve the highest level of clinical accuracy and advanced capabilities to diagnose and treat carotid artery disease,” said vascular surgeon Robert Fox, M.D., who is the co-medical director of the Vascular Ultrasound Laboratory at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.  “For example, carotid duplex scanning can identify patients at risk for stroke, resulting in critical early intervention for a potentially life-threatening condition.”

The Vascular Ultrasound Laboratory at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is fully accredited by the American College of Radiology, in addition to the carotid ultrasound and venous ultrasound accreditations just received by ICAVL.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital provides comprehensive diagnostic, interventional, and surgical vascular services.  These services bring together vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists and cardiologists, and include endovascular and open aortic repairs of both the chest and abdomen, carotid surgery and stenting, the latest in minimally invasive interventions, and comprehensive diagnostic capabilities including vascular imaging – ultrasound, CT and MRA.  The Department also works closely with a comprehensive Wound Care Center that combines the expertise of physician specialists in a collaborative effort to heal difficult wounds.

Shady Grove’s Vascular Lab and highly qualified team provide the highest level of non-invasive testing and image guidance to help caregivers diagnose and target a condition,” added co-medical director of the lab and interventional radiologist Zahide Erkmen, M.D. “Patients with any vascular condition have access to the latest non-invasive advances and to the hospital’s comprehensive care team prior to undergoing more invasive, more involved tests and procedures.”

A member of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), ICAVL provides accreditation programs for vascular testing with the goal of improving health care. The ICAVL defines the requirements for high quality care in vascular laboratories. In order to maintain accreditation, the laboratory must undergo random site visits and audit requests that can ask for documents such as copies of licenses or credential cards and case studies. In addition to maintaining accreditation, laboratories must apply for reaccredidation every three years to ensure that it is consistently maintaining and improving its care.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute care facility in Rockville, Maryland, with 336 licensed beds. Shady Grove is committed to delivering excellent health care through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.  The hospital offers a broad range of health services and is recognized for excellence in emergency care; high-risk obstetrical and neonatal care; cardiac and vascular interventional care; oncology care; several surgical specialties; and a number of specialized services for children. The Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown provides emergency medical care to more than 35,000 residents each year. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is part of Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health-care delivery system that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.