Baystate Franklin Receives Vascular Testing Accreditation

GREENFIELD — The Baystate Heart and Vascular Regional Program, including vascular labs at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) as well as labs in Springfield and Northampton, has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in vascular testing in the areas of peripheral venous testing, extracranial cerebrovascular testing, and peripheral arterial testing by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).

Accreditation by the IAC means that the BFMC vascular lab 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. To qualify, the lab had to submit a comprehensive application process, including detailed case-study review.

According to the IAC, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the U.S. On average, one American dies every 39 seconds of a cardiovascular disease, which include disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Stroke, a disorder of the blood supply to the brain, is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. The American Heart Assoc. estimates that the total direct and indirect cost of cardiovascular disease and stroke in the U.S. was $503.2 billion in 2010.

Jane McKay, manager in the BFMC Cardiopulmonary Department, noted that “early detection of life-threatening heart disorders, stroke, and other diseases is possible through our vascular-testing procedures. The skill of our technologists performing the examinations, the type of equipment used, the background and knowledge of our physicians, are all critical to quality patient testing. I am proud of the entire vascular testing team — our physicians, technologists, and sonographers — for maintaining the high standards required to earn accreditation.”