INTERSOCIETAL
COMMISSION FOR THE ACCREDITATION
OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE LABORATORIES
Nuclear Medicine & Nuclear Cardiology
8840 Stanford Boulevard, Suite 4900, Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 872-0100 * Fax: (410) 872-0030 * www.icanl.org
PRESS
RELEASE
Date:
June 6, 2007
To: Media
Contact: Tamara Sloper or Aaron Watkins
Regarding: Accredited Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory
One
American dies every 32 seconds of cardiovascular disease, disorders
of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is the leading
cause of death in the United States, costing society over 83.7 billion
dollars each year in health services, medications and lost work
time due to disability. Each year, approximately five and a half
million stress nuclear cardiology studies are performed in the United
States. Both the pump function and the blood flow of the heart are
assessed during nuclear cardiology testing procedures. As a result,
physicians are able to detect the presence of cardiovascular disease
and may also discover important information regarding the occurrence
of future heart attacks. The heart is evaluated at rest and during
exercise using a small amount of radioisotope during the noninvasive
procedure. A complex imaging technique, nuclear cardiology testing
relies on the experience and training of both the physician and
the technologist. Their interpretive and technical abilities determine
the diagnostic accuracy of the examination. The Intersocietal Commission
for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL) has
developed an accreditation program that evaluates the quality of
these and other critical elements of a nuclear cardiology laboratory.
Cardiology
Group of Western New York, P.C., located in Williamsville, New York,
was granted accreditation by the ICANL. The laboratory is one of
the first nuclear cardiology laboratories in the United States,
Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for its commitment to
high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic
testing.
The
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). The ICANL provides a peer review mechanism to encourage and
recognize the provision of quality nuclear cardiology and nuclear
medicine diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation.
A non-profit organization, the ICANL is dedicated to ensuring high
quality patient care and to promoting health care.
Participation
in the accreditation process is voluntary, Accreditation status
signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent
agency that recognizes the laboratory's commitment to quality testing
for the diagnosis of heart disease.
