Dr. Allan Anderson, M.D.
Director of Echo Lab Accreditation

In order to meet our mission to provide the highest cardiovascular care to our patients, HeartPlace is committed to the quality standards as set forth in Certification and Accreditation.

By policy, all HeartPlace physicians are Board certified in their respective specialties by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Certification by an ABMS Member Board is widely recognized by physicians, healthcare institutions, insurers and patients themselves as an essential tool to judge that a physician has the knowledge, experience and skills for providing quality healthcare within a given specialty. It is considered the gold standard because of its unique physician-directed approach for assessing qualifications. The process for initial certification, whether in a specialty or subspecialty, involves a rigorous process of testing and peer evaluation that is designed and administered by specialists in that specific area of medicine. Successful candidates are awarded certification. For cardiologists the member Board is the American Board of Internal Medicine. For heart surgeons, it is the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. HeartPlace physicians are required to maintain their certification status as a condition of the group.

Dr. Eugene Henderson, MD
Director of Nuclear Accreditation 

Accreditation is the means by which laboratories can evaluate and demonstrate the level of patient care that they provide. This process is performed thru the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. The Commission is comprised of five member organizations governing the different imaging techniques available: echocardiography, vascular nuclear, MRI, and CT. Through the accreditation process, laboratories assess every aspect of daily operation and its impact on the quality of health care provided to patients. While completing the accreditation application, laboratories often identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality assurance programs. Because accreditation is renewed every three years, a long-term commitment to quality and self-assessment is developed and maintained. Laboratories may use accreditation as the foundation to create and achieve realistic quality care goals. All HeartPlace nuclear labs are accredited by the Intersocoietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Labs-ICANL. In June 2008, HeartPlace received accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Labs-ICAEL, for all of our echo labs as a group. This represents the largest group in the United States to achieve such a designation from ICAEL to this point, an achievement for which we are very proud. Dr Allan Anderson serves as Director of Echo lab Accreditation for HeartPlace. In addition to his role of Director of Echo lab accreditation, Dr Anderson is also Chairman of the Quality Committee for the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.

Thru this commitment to the twin pillars of quality, Certification and Accreditation, you may feel comfortable that your HeartPlace experience represents the highest standard in cardiovascular care. Should you have any questions concerning our commitment to quality excellence, please let us know thru the Contact Us section of our web site.