Bluffton Hospital, Blanchard Valley Hospital echo laboratories receive international accreditation

The Echocardiography Laboratories at Bluffton Hospital and Blanchard Valley Hospital (BVH), Findlay, have been reaccredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL), according to Bill Watkins of the Bluffton Hospital.

The Bluffton and BVH echo labs perform echocardiograms, a non-invasive test that detects and manages heart disease.

This accreditation recognizes labs that provide a high level of patient care and quality testing when diagnosing heart disease. First accredited in 2005, BVH and Bluffton received reaccreditations in 2008 and 2011. The accreditation is valid for three years.

The ICAEL is a non-profit organization that encourages labs to conduct quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations.