Brenner Children’s Hospital Laboratory Gains Accreditation

January 17, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Brenner Children’s Hospital part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL).

The laboratory at the children’s hospital is one of the first 1,000 echocardiography laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to be recognized for its commitment to high-quality patient care and provision of quality diagnostic testing. “We are pleased to have this accreditation,” said Wesley Covitz, M.D., head of pediatric cardiology at Brenner Children’s Hospital. “We work to ensure that our sonographers and staff are up to date on the most current echocardiography standards. Gaining this accreditation gives our patients reassurance that we are maintaining our high standards.”
Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and sonographer. This noninvasive test has become one the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology, with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in the United States.
Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary. Accreditation status signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the laboratory’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease. A non-profit organization, the ICAEL is dedicated to ensuring high quality patient care and to promoting health care.

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Media Contacts: Rae Bush, rbush@wfubmc.edu, Kristin Butler, kbutler@wfubmc.edu or Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu. at 336-716-4587.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University Health Sciences and Brenner Children’s Hospital. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation, psychiatry and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. Brenner Children’s was named one of the top children’s hospitals in the nation by Child magazine.

Media Relations

Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587