Patient Relations
Dhahran – June 2022 – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Non-Invasive Cardiovascular has been granted a three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the areas of Adult Stress, Adult Transesophageal, and Adult Transthoracic.
“I am proud of JHAH’s Non-Invasive Cardiovascular-Echocardiography Laboratory for achieving full IAC accreditation for Adult Echocardiography in three categories,” shared Dr. Michael Walsh, Chief Executive. “Attaining this accreditation is a testament to JHAH’s commitment to clinical excellence and quality care. A special thank you to the Heart & Vascular Institute’s technical and clinical teams for their hard work and dedication in maintaining high international standards.”
Accreditation by the IAC means that JHAH’s Non-Invasive Cardiovascular - Echocardiography Laboratory underwent an intensive application and review process and was found to be compliant 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 enabled both the critical operational and technical components of JHAH to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.
“The accredited Echocardiography Laboratory at JHAH provides highly professional services and demonstrates compliance with the requirements specified in the relevant standard.
We appreciate the guidance we received from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and we will keep on providing high-quality Echocardiography Laboratory services,” shared Ghada Al-Dossary, Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Manager.
Echocardiography is used to assess different areas of the heart and can detect heart disease or signs of severe cardiovascular conditions. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of all adult deaths (42 percent) in Saudi Arabia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cardiac services have remained a priority since JHAH’s inception, building on the history of Saudi Aramco’s standards and Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) expertise. Together, physicians, nurses, administrators, and technologists from JHM and JHAH remain dedicated to enhancing JHAH’s already strong cardiology service.
Many factors contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography. The training and experience of the sonographer performing the procedure, the equipment used, and the quality assessment metrics each facility must measure 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 dedication to continuous improvement.
In 2021, JHAH was granted accreditation by the IAC in Echocardiography in the area of Adult Transthoracic as one of only two organizations in the Kingdom and one of three in the GCC.
Over the last year, JHAH cardiac sonographers became registered after passing the exam through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers or the Cardiovascular Credentialing.
IAC provides accreditation programs for vascular testing, echocardiography, nuclear/PET, MRI, diagnostic CT, dental CT, carotid stenting, vein treatment and management, and cardiac
electrophysiology. The IAC programs for accreditation are dedicated to ensuring quality patient care and promoting health care and all support one common mission: Improving health care through accreditation®. IAC accreditation is widely respected in the medical community, as illustrated by the support of the national medical societies related to echocardiography, which includes physicians and sonographers. To date, the IAC accrediting divisions have granted accreditation to more than 14,000 sites throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.