ST. FRANCIS LABORATORY ACCREDITED

St. Francis Medical Center's vascular laboratory, a service of the Heart Institute at St. Francis, has become the first lab of its kind in Southeast Missouri to be accredited.

The lab was recognized by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories.

The St. Francis vascular laboratory is under the medical direction of vascular surgeon Dr. Bridget Ostrow.

In order for the lab to achieve accreditation, three main objectives must be fulfilled: it must provide documentation of staffing by qualified personnel; it must be directed by a qualified physician and employ at least one registered vascular technologist; and it must meet minimum requirements regarding instrumentation, testing techniques and quality assurance.