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Scott Orstad
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Stamford, CT - March 24, 2008 - Stamford Hospital and Tully Health Center received accreditation for its two nuclear diagnostic and cardiology laboratories by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring high-quality patient care and promoting health care. The laboratory accreditation - among the first in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico - verifies a commitment to high-quality testing for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
Every year, approximately 5.5 million stress nuclear cardiology studies are performed in the United States at a nuclear cardiology laboratory. Both the heart's pump function and blood flow (while resting and exercising) are assessed during testing procedures through a complex imaging technique. Diagnostics are reviewed by the physician and nuclear medicine technologist. Test results help identify patients' cardiovascular disease and determine the potential for future heart attacks.
"Accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission is a wonderful validation of our team's expertise as well as the capabilities of our nuclear diagnostic and cardiology laboratories," said David Sack, Stamford Hospital's Directory of Radiology. "To be a regional provider of heart and vascular services, we must first have the ability to diagnose and prevent heart disease. Our laboratory and our tight-knit team of professionals complete this important requirement at our Heart & Vascular Institute."
The ICANL accreditation program evaluates the quality of the nuclear cardiology laboratory, diagnostic nuclear tests, and the experience and training of the laboratory's team. Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary, and completed through a peer review system.
ICANL was established with the support of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Society of nuclear Medicine Technologist Section, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Nuclear Physicians and the Academy of Molecular Imaging (formerly known as the Institute for Clinical PET).
Stamford Hospital
Stamford Hospital is a not-for-profit provider of comprehensive healthcare services in lower Fairfield County and the region. The mission of Stamford Hospital is to provide, together with its physicians, a broad range of high quality health and wellness services focused on the needs of our communities. Stamford Hospital is a Magnet Hospital and a member of the Planetree Alliance, a group of hospitals nationwide focused on patient-centered care. Stamford Hospital is affiliated with New York Presbyterian Health System and is a major teaching affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
