NMC’s Diagnostic Imaging Department recently received ACR accreditation for its Magnetic Resonance Imaging program --- a medical imaging procedure that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of the body’s organs and structures. This adds to the department’s accreditations already received in CT, Mammography and Ultrasound.
Lead MRI Technologist Erica Finnegan talks with a patient in NMC’s MRI suite. Photo courtesy of Northwestern Medical Center.
The MRI team, led by Erica Finnegan RT(R)(CT)(MR), Lead MRI Technologist, worked tirelessly to assure that all standards required by the ACR were met in full and in some cases, exceeded the standards set by the ACR. "ACR Accreditation is voluntary, but we felt it necessary because Northwestern Medical Center always puts the patient first. This accreditation assures the community that we are committed to providing the best patient care and image quality possible," says Erica.
Other members of the MRI Team at NMC include Marc Bessette, RT(R)(MR), Andre Lombard, RT(R)(MR) and Bridget Thompson, RT(R)(CT)(MR).
David Gervais, BS, CNMT, Manager of Diagnostic Imaging, added, “This outstanding accomplishment serves to underscore our commitment to providing exceptional imaging services for every patient, every time for the communities that we serve.”
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 Guidelines and Technical Standards after 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. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.
Northwestern Medical Center is a not-for-profit community hospital, located in St. Albans, Vermont. For more information about NMC, please visit www.NorthwesternMedicalCenter.org.
Source: Northwestern Medical Center, March 21, 2014