This Heart Month, I’m excited to highlight a dedicated team that enhances cardiac health and wellness for our adult patients, our Echocardiography (Echo) team. These team members embrace the latest technology, provide expert imaging, and ensure our patients feel comfortable and informed. And our patients notice.
What Our Patients Say
I love reading patient compliments from satisfaction surveys! They fill me with pride for the incredible difference our team makes every day. Here’s what they have to say about the Echo team:
- “The Echo Tech did a fantastic job with his explanations and warm bedside manner. He did a great job getting images!! He is an asset to UVA Medical Center.”
- “Service is always top notch.”
- “Technician was very pleasant and skillful!”
- “The technician was absolutely wonderful. He patiently answered my many, many questions. He clearly explained how to read my forthcoming results as well. He was so kind, and I’m grateful to have had him on that day, especially during this difficult time of my life.”
- “My technician was wonderful. She kept up a conversation with me, which kept me at ease throughout the procedure. From a patient standpoint, she was the best imagining technician I have encountered.”
- “Echo technician was very knowledge and helped me to understand what the test was showing. He was very helpful and had a great sense of humor which put me at ease immediately.”
What is Echocardiography?
Echocardiography is a vital diagnostic tool for heart conditions like arrhythmias, valve issues, heart failure, congenital defects, and cardiomyopathy (diseases of the heart muscle). An echocardiogram (also called an echo) uses ultrasound to capture images of the heart's structure and function to help identify issues.
Meet the Team
Our 15 core staff cardiac sonographers are skilled in using ultrasound technology to capture and analyze heart images for abnormalities. They ensure patient comfort, provide education, maintain equipment, and uphold quality standards. The Echo team partners closely with cardiologists to gather crucial information for accurate diagnoses and to develop treatment plans.
This team operates 24/7, performing 60–70 inpatient and outpatient tests a day across nearly every adult unit—from the ED to the Transplant Clinic, Oncology to Neurology. That’s an expected 20,000 service units this year!
And here’s something to be proud of: our Adult Echocardiography Lab is one of only two facilities in Virginia to achieve the 25-year Silver Accreditation Milestone from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Echocardiography. The organization accredits over 2,800 healthcare facilities across the U.S. and Canada, so it’s a big deal!
Join me in giving a shout-out to this dedicated team who live our values and move our mission forward through innovation and expertise in echocardiography.
Which team would you like to get to know better? Let me know by dropping a suggestion in the Be Heard Suggestion Box.
Take care and be well,
Wendy