Boone Memorial Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in ultrasound as the result of an extensive review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Ultrasound imaging, also known as sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of internal body parts to help providers diagnose illness, injury or other medical problems.

“We are up for re-accreditation every three years,” said Jeff Mosteller, CNMT (Executive Director of Ancillary Services). It is a very tedious and detailed process. We must meet the ACR’s stringent standards for image quality and report quality. For this to happen, there is a great deal of work that goes into procuring good quality images on the designated subset of patients. The ACR requires the team to acquire scans on patients with the certain pathologies, or lack thereof. They must take the correct pictures, get the correct measurements, and coordinate with our 20 radiologists to include the correct information in the reports, while doing so with high quality. We appreciate their hard work and dedication.”

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards, following a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are assessed. These findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report that can be used for continuous practice improvement.

The ACR, founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care. The College serves more than 37,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

 

“We are extremely proud of our Radiology Department. Each team member goes above and beyond to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care,” said Angie Christian, Chief Operating Officer.