Christiana Care Neurology Specialists neurodiagnostic lab earns exemplary status accreditation

Christiana Care’s outpatient neurodiagnostic lab has earned exemplary status accreditation from the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine in testing for neuromuscular abnormalities, demonstrating clinical excellence as a regional center for electrodiagnostic medicine.

“Congratulations on achieving this honor,” said William Pease, M.D., president of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. “You have confirmed your laboratory’s commitment to providing the highest quality health care.”

The accreditation, which is the top award from the AANEM and based on a rigorous peer-review process, establishes that the Christiana Care Neurology Specialists lab has state-of-the-art testing equipment and three highly trained doctors who meet leading-edge standards for electromyography/nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS). EMG/NCS are common outpatient procedures that are valuable in diagnosing chronic and life-threatening peripheral nervous system disorders.

“The work that we have done to achieve this accreditation has positively impacted the nature of our testing and means that patients will have the most accurate diagnosis and be more comfortable while having the test done,” said Yadira Velazquez-Rodriguez, M.D. That work included enhancements to quality and safety, technology, and patient satisfaction.

As the need for electrodiagnostic medicine increases throughout the region, Christiana Care is becoming an accomplished testing and treatment center for patients who previously would have needed to travel to nearby states. For example, in October 2016, a new neurodiagnostic lab opened at Christiana Hospital that offers EMG/NCS testing plus 24-hour electroencephalogram (EEG) testing throughout the hospital. EEG is a common form of testing for epilepsy and other brain disorders.

“With the development of our neurocritical care unit, our specialists realize that patients with specific disorders can begin to have clinically silent seizures as their disease progresses,” said Kert Anzilotti, M.D., MBA, chief medical officer, acute care. “So being able to do 24-hour monitoring is a somewhat newer aspect of this care that’s proving important.”

At Wilmington Hospital, improvements to the EMG/EEG lab are planned for later this year.

“We are on a growth curve for this type of inpatient and outpatient testing, and we are doing our best to meet the needs of our patients,” Dr. Anzilotti said.