The Service

Echotech provides an integrated, flexible and quality assured echocardiography service to wherever and whenever the commissioning organisation requires at a cost effective / highly competitive rate.

All clinical operations are overseen by the Echotech Clinical Lead - Consultant Cardiologist Echocardiography Specialist.

Flexibility and choice

• Echotech provide day time (am and pm), evening and weekend clinics
• Echotech adheres to whatever model / protocol, as specified by the commissioning organisation
• Echotech provide 'buffer' clinics (requires two weeks notice). These are additional 'ad hoc' sessions implemented in response to fluctuating demand. Such sessions have proved highly effective in maintaining the capacity / demand equilibrium and ensuring waiting times meet the required target

Technical support

• All Echotech cardiac physiologists are highly trained and experienced in echocardiography
• All Echotech cardiac physiologists are competent in the performance, interpretation and reporting of routine and complex echocardiography

The report

• The report is written in clear, descriptive terms that relates to the question that prompted referral
• The report clearly details the degree of LV function (systolic and diastolic) and any other abnormality
• The report is available to the referring clinician on the same day of the scan
• Advice for interpretation for GPSI / referring GP is provided, if required
• A free GP echo handbook is available on request to support GPs with report interpretation
• If the patient requires cardiology referral, following the echo, the statement 'Suggest Cardiology Referral' appears in RED BOLD lettering at the top of the report
  If the patient requires urgent cardiology referral, following the echo, the statement 'Suggest URGENT Cardiology Referral' appears in RED BOLD lettering at the top of the report
  The statements; 'suggest cardiology referral' and 'suggest urgent cardiology referral' are based on clear criteria, which are detailed in the Echotech Reporting Guidelines and GP Handbook
• In the event where an echo requires a second opinion by either the Clinical Lead and/or one of our Clinical Operation Managers, a provisional verbal report is made available on the day of the scan. The final written report is provided within 48 hours

Example of an Echotech report

The Clinics

• Half day clinics run for approximately 4 hours (am, pm or evening)
• Full day clinics run for approximately 8 hours
• Each clinic allows between 30 and 40 minutes per patient (therefore a half day clinic scans approximately 6 or 7 patients and a full day clinic scans approximately 12 to 14 patients)
• Echotech provides ultrasound equipment and all consumables, if required
• Echotech provides patient booking and administration servces (via the Echotech Patient Management Centre), if required

Service Evaluation (inc. waiting times and activity analysis)

• Considerable effort is made to ensure that the data for each scan is accurately recorded in a standardised format to support the clinical governance agenda and allow the submission of bespoke 'Quality Accounts' whenever required.
• Echotech supports the evaluation of the service for audit purposes, by providing all stakeholders with a comprehensive weekly 'patient tracker' spreadsheet which includes the following columns:

1. Patient surname
2. Patient first name
3. Patient age
4. Patient date of birth
5. Patient gender
6. Patient ID
7. Referrer title
8. Referrer initial
9. Referrer surname
10. Referrer address (first line)
11. Referrer organisation
12. Reason for echo
13. iCardiogram code 
14. Referral date
15. Echo date
16. Echo waiting time
17. Echo wait target met (yes < 4 weeks or no > 4 weeks)
18. Echo venue
19. Echo conclusion
20. Ejection Fraction
21. LV systolic function (normal, mild, moderate or severe)
22. LV diastolic dysfunction (yes or no)
23. Significant valve disease (yes or no)
24. RV dysfunction (yes or no)
25. Patient in AF (yes or no)
26. Technical quality (good, fair or poor)
27. Cardiac Physiologist name
28. Cardiology referral comments (if applicable)
29. Peer review comments (if applicable)
30. Review category (5,4,3,2 or 1)
31. Suggested cardiology referral (yes or no)
32. Urgent action required (yes or no)

Image archive

• The iCardiogram system draws study images and data from the ultrasound machine and uploads it directly to a secure internet site, the echo report is then completed and filed online (using the web browser)
• Once uploaded the report and associated study images can be viewed and reviewed by anyone with the appropriate security privileges eg for QA and clinical governance requirements

• Cardiologists in the local NHS network can be offered access to the study report and images too, hopefully eliminating the duplicated hospital studies

Integration with 'local' Cardiac Network

• Echotech will attend all service review, service redesign and quality assurance meetings
• Echotech will take active participation in GP training events
• GP focussed service with Cardiology online access to reports and images

Patient Management Centre (PMC)

Echotech operates a PMC from our head office in Portsmouth, if required by the commissioning organisation.

Patient bookings and administration is coordinated by our dedicated PMC office administrator.

Referrals

• The Echotech Clinical Lead has devised clear, evidence based referral criteria to ensure the appropriateness of request.  Furthermore, the referral forms are tailored to community services with the use of tick boxes to minimise ambiguity
• Echotech employs a paperless, no-fax referral process using portable document files (pdfs) to transfer patient data securely from GP to the PMC
• Once a referral has been received by the PMC, the referral is checked for appropriateness - the referring clinician is required to tick at least ONE of the referral criteria boxes
• If the referral is deemed appropriate, then the patient is contacted within 48 hours and an appointment time and location is agreed
• A letter of confirmation will then follow including a map of the NHS site
• Finally, the patient will be phoned on the day before the clinic to remind him / her of their appointment. This approach has proved highly effective in minimising the rate of DNA’s

All patients will receive their test within 4 weeks from the date of referral to support the delivery of the 18 week target. The implementation of 'buffer’ clinics is used to ensure the waiting time does not exceed 4 weeks.

Reports

• All Echotech reports are returned to the referring clinician within 48 hours of the test and by at least two different methods including post, fax and email
  

Echotech provides 12 lead ECG