Centro de venas versus hospital: ¿Qué se necesita para ser un centro de venas?
Vein Center Versus Hospital: What Does it Take to Be a Vein Center?
When you have a specific health problem, it’s best to see a practitioner who specializes in that area of medical care. By the same logic, when you experience vein issues, the best place to go is a vein center. The criteria for this designation are strict, ensuring that the doctors and staff members have the knowledge and expertise to assist you.
What Are the Qualifications to be a Vein Center?
As the name suggests, this type of facility focuses on treatments for problems with the veins, such as chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. Facilities offering vein procedures can choose to become accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for special designation as a location offering these procedures. Facilities can also choose to meet rigorous standards from the American College of Radiology (ACR) to become accredited in Vascular Ultrasound as well.
To do so, facilities must offer at least two out of four procedures associated with vein treatment:
- Saphenous vein ablation (such as surgical or ultrasound-guided chemical ablation)
- Ambulatory or powered phlebectomy
- Sclerotherapy
- Non-operative management of chronic venous insufficiency with ulceration (i.e. wound care such as compression therapy and debridement)
The applying clinic must undertake a rigorous evaluation process by an external committee to ensure it adheres to the strict standards of the IAC in every facet. These include items such as the medical staff’s training and experience, the type of equipment in use, the physical space within the clinic, and the type and volume of the medical procedures. Then, the IAC reviews the application and determines whether the facility meets the criteria. Only the top vein practices in America are accredited.
How Is A Vein Center Different Than Hospitals or Other Healthcare Facilities?
Although hospitals generally have highly-skilled staff members specializing in many areas of medicine, the facilities – and often the doctors – deal with a variety of issues on a daily basis. Many healthcare facilities also provide a multitude of services, although some might focus on one specialty, such as ambulatory surgical centers. In order to be able to offer and treat so many different procedures, they cannot have expertise in all.
In contrast, a focused vein practice concentrates only on vein issues and handles only these treatments. The doctors and staff can become experts, as that is all that they treat. The medical staff must undergo continuing education, which ensures they regularly review the latest knowledge of the field and bring it back to their center to the benefit of the patients.
What Are the Benefits of Seeing a Vein Doctor?
The biggest benefit of seeing a vein doctor at an accredited center such as Vein Specialists of Arizona is that you get expert care with the latest treatments. Because the only patients we see have chronic vein insufficiency and similar health problems, our doctors and staff are fully focused on bringing their expertise to the aid of our patients. Choosing an IAC-accredited center and ACR-accredited Vascular Ultrasound practice further ensures that you visit a facility with the best equipment, procedures, and patient care for these treatments who have met or surpassed a rigorous testing process for excellence.