Cindy Weiland Named ICAVL Technical Manager

from the Fall 2001 issue

Cindy Weiland, RRT, RVT, joined the ICAVL as the new Technical Manager in September 2001. Weiland comes to the ICAVL with noninvasive vascular testing experience from a variety of clinical settings with an array of responsibilities, as well as 10 years of experience in a collaboration of allied health related sciences. Her experience has ranged from working as the Director Of Vascular Services for an independent company providing transcranial Doppler exams and company wide neurovascular education, to working as the Clinical Coordinator for a diverse Diabetic Limb at Risk clinic, to managing a mobile noninvasive vascular laboratory and working as an RVT in a very busy vascular laboratory housed in a large medical center.

While working at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, Weiland assisted in achieving accreditation. The laboratory was the first military medical center to attain ICAVL accreditation, an accomplishment it repeated two more times during Weiland's employment. "Having been directly involved in the accreditation process three times since 1990," Weiland said, "I have seen the evolution of the accreditation process and how it lends itself to the constant metamorphosis of the noninvasive vascular testing profession along with increased Medicare and insurance guidelines and the increased role that Information Technology has played in medical care.

As the ICAVL Technical Manager, Weiland hopes that the value of her personal accreditation experiences and her work in a variety of clinical settings as both a technologist and a manager will give her the ability to view the process from a broad perspective and aid in assisting the laboratories in achieving their ultimate goal of accreditation. She said, "It is inevitable that at some point in our lifetime, we all come into contact with the medical system, whether it be personally, with a child, friend, partner or parent. I believe that through accreditation we help to assure that patients will be provided with high quality, standardized care in at least one portion of the health care system."

As a member of the ICAVL team, Weiland would like part of her focus to be the enhancement of communication with all of those involved in the accreditation process. "The newsletter and website are both valuable tools in keeping the laboratories and their staff informed of the changes occurring at the ICAVL and in the vascular technology community. I would like to continue to find ways to make the accreditation process objective, informative and as user-friendly as possible. I personally know of the extra time and effort that labs put forth during the application process, but I also know the sense of accomplishment in tandem with the higher level of patient care that accompanies its completion," she said.

In the upcoming months there will be changes implemented in the accreditation process at several levels. Weiland said, "Accreditation itself should continue to evolve in order to remain a current reflection of the constantly changing medical field." Weiland encourages laboratory personnel to regularly visit the website and read the newsletter, and continues, "Constructive feedback is appreciated and as our forms of communication are enhanced, the ICAVL team will find the most efficient ways to provide answers to questions and look at measures to resolve issues as they are raised. Our goal is to assist laboratories in accomplishing their goal of achieving accreditation."

Weiland encourages anyone to contact her by e-mail with any questions or comments about the ICAVL and the accreditation process.

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