Inland Imaging was recently awarded the area’s first and only PET/CT accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR, with headquarters in Reston, Virginia, determines accreditation to medical facilities based on the achievement of high practice standards and a peer-review evaluation. Board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field conduct the evaluation, measuring qualifications of personnel and adequacy of the facility equipment.
“Inland Imaging is excited to be granted the highest quality evaluation by the ACR. We are committed to providing the most advanced testing available as well as highly trained physicians and technologists. I am proud to work for the only PET/CT department in the area to receive this recognition,” says Nick Andrizzi, PET/CT Team Leader. Chief Operations Officer, Kathleen Wilson adds, “ACR accreditation provides the highest level of confidence for our patients and referring physicians. It gives assurance that the equipment and staff have passed rigorous evaluations.”
ACR accreditation assesses the qualifications of staff members, policies, procedures, equipment specifications, quality assurance activities, patient safety, and quality of patient care. Those physicians, who supervise and interpret the medical images, must meet stringent education and training standards while the technologists administering tests are to be appropriately certified. In addition, qualified medical physicists must regularly monitor the PET/CT imaging equipment.
Peer-review programs conducted by the ACR provide for systematic review of examinations to assure quality and accuracy of the PET/CT procedure. The appropriateness and adverse events are heavily monitored, analyzed, and reported. The required program evaluations include double-readings, random reviews, exams, and summary data for each physician and facility.
The ACR has been offering accreditation services since 1963 and their goal is to set quality standards for practices, provide guidance for continuous improvement, and offer proof of best value.