Cornwall Community Hospital’s (CCH) echocardiography services have received full accreditation through Accreditation Canada Diagnostics’ Echocardiography Quality Improvement (EQI) Program for providing some of the highest-quality echocardiography and diagnostic services in Ontario.

Accreditation Canada Diagnostics assesses healthcare organizations against standards of excellence to identify what is being done well and what needs to be improved. Participation in its EQI Program is open to all facilities in Ontario providing echocardiography services who wish to partner to find improvement opportunities.

An Echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart that can detect structural abnormalities, issues with the function of the heart, or valve problems, for example. CCH performs approximately 3,200 echocardiograms annually for patients from Cornwall and surrounding areas.

CCH decided to participate in the EQI Program knowing the contribution accreditation can make in improving the quality of care for local patients.

The rigorous process involved physician panels assembled by AC Diagnostics who reviewed patient cases, equipment, the team’s training and skills, and examined the program’s processes.

CCH successfully implemented all quality improvement suggestions to receive the full accreditation and become an accredited echocardiography facility.

“Being accredited verifies that our echocardiography services meet the highest standards of care in Ontario, and demonstrates to our community, patients and staff that our hospital places an emphasis on continuous learning and ongoing improvements,” explains Jennifer Barkley, CCH’s Director of Diagnostic Services.

“This accreditation signifies that our echocardiographic process has been validated by our peers, and local patients can take comfort in knowing they are receiving these high-quality diagnostic services without travelling to a larger urban centre,” noted Dr. Kamal Sharma, Medical Director of Echocardiography at CCH.

In 2019, CCH was also accredited by Accreditation Canada with Exemplary Standing, the highest designation attainable awarded to an organization that attains the highest level of performance.