Quality Evaluation in Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging

This handbook provides hospitals, clinics, and imaging centers, along with their medical and technical directors and hospital administrators, with the necessary information and tools to develop quality initiatives.
The specific aims of this book include:
1.Describe quality control as it relates to non-invasive cardiovascular imaging 2.Understand the current standards as published by societal guidelines or accrediting organizations e.g. American College of Radiology (ACR), Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), The Joint Commission (TJC)or the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
3.Demonstrate techniques to comply with the routine quality assessment of the equipment utilized in the imaging process.
4.Understand and document the appropriate patient and protocol selection.
5.Optimize appropriate imaging techniques to minimize acquisition and processing artifact.
6.Improve the reporting process and more effectively communicate with referring physicians.
7.Assess the current process of care and document the outcomes to allow for process improvement. 8.Develop protocols for the evaluation of patient and physician satisfaction.
9.Design programs to perform the public reporting of outcomes.-

Peter Tilkemeier, MD, MMM is a Professor at the University of South Carolina Greenville and at the Clemson University School of Health Research. He is the Chairperson of the Department of Medicine at the Greenville Health System and responsible for the quality outcomes of this large department of medicine spanning eight hospital campuses. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the ImageGuide imaging registry for the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, charged with the development and clinical implementation of this large non-invasive cardiac imaging registry. Robert C. Hendel, M.D. is currently the Associate Chief of Clinical Cardiology and Director of Cardiac Imaging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he is a Professor of Medicine and Radiology. He also serves as the Cardiovascular Service Chief and Director of the Cardiac Care Unit at the University of Miami Hospital. Gary Heller, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine and Nuclear Imaging at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. At Hartford Hospital, Director of Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory, and Professor of Medicine at University of Connecticut school of Medicine, Farmington, CT. Dr. Heller received his medical degree and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency at Boston City Hospital and University Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. His Cardiovascular Fellowship training was at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts and he was on the faculty of the Harvard University Medical School. Prior to his position in Hartford, Dr. Heller was Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and Director ofNuclear Cardiology at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

Overview.- Technical Considerations .- Image interpretation and Reporting.- Laboratory perspectives: Description for quality imaging for each section.- Developing a quality improvement program.- Preparation for accreditation or re-.- Reporting quality and national/international benchmarks.- Additional quality activities.