SALISBURY – The heart and vascular center at Rowan Regional Medical Center has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in the areas of adult stress, adult transthoracic and adult transesophageal. 
Echocardiography is a first-line imaging test using ultrasound to examine the heart’s movement. By providing pictures of the heart’s valves and chambers, the test can assess the heart’s size and function, which also determines the presence of many types of heart disease. The noninvasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools in cardiology, with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in the United States. 
Accreditation by the IAC means that Rowan Regional Medical Center has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review. Accreditation by the IAC is considered is a “seal of approval” by medical experts in the field of echocardiography. 
“Through this achievement, our heart and vascular team has demonstrated its commitment to quality patient care,” said Dari Caldwell, president of Rowan Regional. “This accreditation also supports the excellent, comprehensive cardiovascular care available to our community.” 
IAC accreditation is respected within the medical community, as illustrated by the support of the national medical societies related to echocardiography, which include physicians and sonographers. Echocardiography accreditation is required in some states and regions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and by some private insurers.