Northwest Wisconsin Emergency Departments accredited in clinical ultrasound
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. ― Five Emergency Departments across Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin were accredited in clinical ultrasound by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
This accreditation includes Emergency Departments at these hospitals:
- Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
- Mayo Clinic Health System — Chippewa Valley in Bloomer
- Mayo Clinic Health System — Northland in Barron
- Mayo Clinic Health System — Oakridge in Osseo
- Mayo Clinic Health System — Red Cedar in Menomonie
While many emergency physicians perform ultrasound, accreditation by the Clinical Ultrasound Accreditation Program is given to programs that meet the high standards established by the American College of Emergency Physicians and meet the standards developed by the organization's Clinical Ultrasound Accreditation Program.
These facilities provide point-of-care ultrasound in the emergency department to help physicians provide excellent patient care. Emergency medicine physicians can use ultrasound to safely guide them during complicated procedures and expedite diagnoses of life-threatening conditions, such as abdominal aneurysms, ectopic pregnancies and internal bleeding. These diagnoses can be made in minutes, ultimately resulting in faster treatment.
To achieve this accreditation, the emergency medicine physicians at these locations had to provide extensive documentation of their training and quality assurance measures. Then a national board of experts in emergency ultrasound reviewed this documentation.
"Meeting the needs of our patients requires being on the cutting edge of medicine," says Robert Tillotson, D.O., ultrasound director for Emergency Medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin. "Ultrasound gives the emergency clinician eyes into the body to rapidly identify life-threatening medical and traumatic conditions, make more rapid diagnoses, perform safer procedures and provide more cost-effective care. Establishing an accredited training and oversight ultrasound program ensures our emergency clinicians perform ultrasound to the highest standards for the benefit of our patients."
Ultrasound testing has become an integral part of emergency care. When performed by properly trained emergency medicine physicians, it can provide essential information. For example, when used with patients after a car accident, it can quickly determine that the patient is bleeding internally and alert for the need for emergency surgery. It also can help find veins in patients where starting an IV is difficult.
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Dan Leae-mail: lea.dan@mayo.edu
phone: 715-838-6405