Vascular ultrasound exams are the gold standard for noninvasive diagnosis and screening of vascular disease. Vascular ultrasound exams are also used for surveillance and access-planning for vascular surgery. These exams are a necessity in hospitals throughout California, however not all hospitals have a dedicated vascular ultrasound lab exams administered by Registered Vascular Technologists.
Hospitals without dedicated vascular ultrasound services are at a disadvantage because they must share resources with an existing radiology department. Dedicated vascular ultrasound resources can increase capacity, accuracy, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
The Role of Registered Vascular Technologists in Clinical Outcomes
Registered Vascular Technologists, or RVTs, are highly trained ultrasound techs who focus solely on vascular ultrasound. This means they can perform highly specialized vascular ultrasound exams that other sonographers may not have the expertise to deliver. RVTs in the United States must receive their credentials from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). ARDMS administers these exams to ensure that RVTs are held to high standards for patient care. RVT credentialing is also required for technologists working in an IAC accredited vascular lab.
The RVT credentialing process consists of two exams, a physics exam in sonography and a specialty vascular technology exam. The specialty exam must be completed within five years of the initial sonography exam. RVTs undergo a thorough exam process and must complete prerequisites to receive their credential.
Registered vascular technologists have the expertise in vascular disease assessment to complete thorough screening and diagnostic exams. They can also collaborate with the vascular surgeon team at a higher level thanks to their background knowledge in vascular technology.
When highly trained RVTs perform vascular ultrasound exams, there is a reduced need for repeat studies and increased throughput. In general, vascular technologists are specialists who can provide a higher level of quality care for patients.
Why California Hospitals Are Outsourcing Vascular Technologist Services
Many hospitals throughout California do not have a dedicated vascular lab despite the need for regular vascular ultrasound studies. Typically, ultrasound exams are carried out by the radiology department for both radiology and vascular surgery needs. However, having dedicated vascular technologist services can increase capacity for and quality of vascular ultrasound exams. Skilled RVTs can provide consistent, reproducible results that enable effective diagnosis and long-term monitoring. In addition, dedicated vascular labs improve accuracy and turnaround time.
Setting up a vascular lab can take significant resources, and starting from scratch is a long process. That’s why more hospitals throughout California are outsourcing vascular technologist services. Outsourced RVT services can provide part-time or full-time staffing models tailored to facility needs.
What Defines High-Quality Vascular Technologist Services?
While registered vascular technologists are more specialized, the most skilled technologists receive ongoing training with high-end vascular ultrasound equipment. It’s important to choose a partner in vascular ultrasound with a proven track record for delivering excellence in vascular care.
High-quality vascular ultrasound services are defined by skilled expertise, highly trained staff, and state-of-the-art technology. Mint Medical has been providing all three pillars of quality to California hospitals and clinics for over twenty years.
Mint Medical provides a range of services, from a-la-carte offerings to full vascular lab setup and maintenance.
Services offered by Mint Medical include:
- Full-time or part-time registered vascular technologists
- Lab accreditation and operations
- Administrative services including scheduling and billing
- Clinical protocol development and implementation
Mint Medical is focused on quality assurance and reproducible studies. Our registered vascular technologists perform more than 30,000 exams annually, and our vascular ultrasound studies demonstrate over 90% correlation when compared to angiograms. We continuously monitor diagnostic reliability and hold regular quality assurance meetings with our hospital partners to guarantee best-in-class results.
Mint Medical RVTs demonstrate deep clinical expertise and can operate seamlessly within hospitals to provide the best experience for patients. In addition, we obtain and maintain IAC accreditation for vascular labs operating out of our partner hospitals. Accreditation demonstrates to patients, insurers, and other stakeholders a commitment to quality and the highest standards.
What can hospital partners expect when outsourcing RVT services?
When outsourcing to Mint Medical, our hospital partners can expect professional service from experienced staff who are held to the highest standards.
“[Mint Medical] ultrasounds are of high quality and performed in a timely manner. I have visited the vascular lab for clinical questions and they have been educational in regards to vascular pathology. We are lucky to have such a great resource for patient care and physician education in the hospital.” – Partner Testimonial from Arun Nagdev, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
We also guarantee rapid turnaround times for patient exams, IAC vascular lab accreditation, and consistent availability with 97% uptime for all our hospital partners. Thanks to decades of experience, Mint Medical has the deep expertise to provide premier outsourced vascular ultrasound and technologist services throughout California. Learn more about becoming a partner here.
Guest Contributor: Jordan Galerkin
Sources:
- Registered Vascular Technologist. ARDMS. https://www.ardms.org/get-certified/rvt/
- Vascular Technology. ARDMS. https://www.inteleos.org/exam/vascular-technology/
