Ensuring Patient Access to High Quality Echocardiography Services in Ontario

The OAC is a strong supporter of Ontario’s echocardiography standards, maintained by CorHealth Ontario, and the provincial Echocardiography Quality Improvement (EQI) Program, which accredits all echocardiography facilities in the province.  The OAC has been an important EQI program stakeholder since 2016.  We believe that echocardiography service providers must provide high quality services, rooted in the clinical standards, to meet the health care needs of Ontario’s cardiac patients.

At the same time, it is crucial for echocardiography service providers to be treated fairly within the accreditation program, including the contract they sign to enter the EQI program (Facility Agreement), the process used to assess their compliance with the echocardiography standards, and transparent, accountable decision-making.

The OAC is committed to working with Accreditation Canada Diagnostics, the non-governmental, third-party organization responsible for managing the EQI program since April 2020, on these matters and to ensuring that the EQI program continues to play an important role in the delivery of high quality echocardiography services in the province.