Ultrasonographer Staff Thirteen registered diagnostic medical sonographers form the core staff of the echocardiographic service at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Most have completed their certification as echocardiographers and four have passed their examinations on pediatric echocardiography. Eleven are also cross trained in body ultrasonography. The staff meets all national standards for continuing education. There is a formal process by which each sonographer interacts with fellow and attending staff review of their scanning and diagnostic judgment.
All recording is done digitally or on SVHS tape.
The digital sequences are stored in a networked KinetDx systems with computer workstation access and control of case-flow. A portion of interesting teaching cases exists in digital loop form on the training computer. Two years of stored clinical cases are immediately available for referral in an area immediately adjacent to the scanning suites and 12 further years in a remote YNHH storage facility. Finalized, electronically signed reports are generally available within 24 hours after they are completed in typed form in the DecRad system. Clinical Indications Guidelines Dr. C. Carl Jaffe, chief of echocardiography service, participated in the state-wide, Connecticut chapter of the American College of Cardiology Task Force on clinical indications for echocardiography.