PLATTSBURGH — Champlain Valley Vascular, located on the CVPH Medical Center Campus, has received a three-year term of accreditation for several vascular-testing procedures performed there.
The practice, overseen by Dr. Theodore Pabst, has been accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for these procedures since 2000; it is one of the only vascular-testing facilities north of Albany.
In fact, Champlain Valley Vascular is only one of a handful of such facilities to receive national accreditation in the state.
“The process for recertification is quite rigorous,” Pabst said.
The four accredited areas of testing are:
▶ Extracranial cerebrovascular testing.
▶ Peripheral venous testing.
▶ Peripheral arterial testing.
▶ Visceral vascular testing.
BLOOD FLOW AT WORK
Accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indication that the facility has been carefully critiqued on all aspects of operations considered relevant by medical experts in the fields of vascular testing, according to a press release issued by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.
“We’re all very proud of this,” Pabst said. “We work hard to take care of our patients, and this accreditation is confirmation that we are doing our job well.”
Vascular testing allows doctors to visualize what is happening within a person’s veins and arteries in search of conditions that can lead to cardiovascular disease.
“The tools we use help diagnose problems in the treatment of these diseases,” Pabst said. “We can’t see into the belly; we often can’t tell (a disease is present) by feeling. We have to be able to look inside the abdomen and see the blood flow at work.”
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. On average, one American dies every second of cardiovascular disease, or disorders of the heart and blood vessels.
AORTIC ANEURYSMS
Stroke, a disorder of the blood supply to the brain, is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the country, with nearly 800,000 new strokes occurring annually.
According to the American Heart Association, the total direct and indirect cost of cardiovascular disease and stroke in the U.S. for 2010 was an estimated $503.2 billion.
“Testing can go a long way (toward stroke prevention),” Pabst said.
It can also help identify aortic aneurysms, an abnormal bulging in the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body. If an aneurysm bursts, it can cause severe, life-threatening internal bleeding.
The condition is more prevalent in older men, and when men first begin receiving Medicare, they are offered free screening.
Vascular testing accreditation is required in some states by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and by some private insurers.
Patients who are scheduled for a vascular-testing procedure should inquire as to the accreditation status of the facility, the release recommended.
Pabst praised the effort of his technologists, Chelsey Hanson and Cathy Metcalfe, as well as Dr. Claude Rowland, who practices at Champlain Valley Vascular and also at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.
For more information on vascular-testing certification, go to http://tinyurl.com/6tdw8bu.
Email Jeff Meyers: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
