Riverside University Health System Earns National Accreditation

From Riverside University Health System:

RUHS Medical Center has earned national accreditation for a hospital-based diagnostic program that relies on sound waves to assess the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions in adults.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, followed closely by stroke as the fourth highest cause of death. According to the American Heart Association more than 2,150 Americans die each day from cardiovascular disease - about one death every 40 seconds.

Dr. Rajagopal Krishnan, chief of cardiology at RUHS Medical Center, said the accreditation reflects his team’s ongoing effort to establish a center of excellence for cardiovascular care at the 439-bed teaching hospital, which is recognized as a top-performing hospital in stroke intervention. This is the first time RUHS Medical Center has earned the three-year seal of approval from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission in Echocardiography.

“This accreditation is a testament to great teamwork and an important milestone in our journey to bring the highest level of cardiovascular services to our patients,” Krishnan said.

Cardiac ultrasound, also called “echocardiography,” is a diagnostic study that uses sound waves to obtain multidimensional, moving pictures of the heart. The study is usually noninvasive and can be done at rest or during exercise. Sometimes the study is conducted by passing a thin tube into the esophagus and using high frequency sound waves to obtain images of the heart.

Patients are encouraged to research the accreditation status of an organization when scheduling an ultrasound and can learn more by visiting here.

About Riverside University Health System – Medical Center: Founded in 1893, the medical center provides exceptional care in specialties such as pediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatry, and in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes and hepatitis C. The 439-bed hospital is a Level II Trauma Center, the only Pediatric ICU in Riverside County and a designated Primary Stroke Center. It also is a teaching hospital with training programs for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals.

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