FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 7, 2011
Contact: Mary Lourdes Burke, chief communications officer
978-466-2214 or mburke@healthalliance.com
LEOMINSTER – HealthAlliance Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in computed tomography (CT) as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). CT scanning - sometimes called CAT scanning - is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and tailor treatments for various medical conditions.
“We are extremely pleased with this recognition for the quality of care and safety that we provide our patients needing CT scans,” remarked Michael Popik, MD, who has served as chair of the Imaging Department for the past 15 years. “The American College of Radiology is a highly regarded organization, and their gold seal of accreditation assures our patients that they are receiving services in a facility that meets the highest standards for imaging quality and safety.”
In addition to ACR accreditation for CT scanning, HealthAlliance Hospital is also accredited by the ACR in mammography and ultrasound. “To achieve the ACR Gold Standard of Accreditation, our facility's personnel qualifications, equipment requirements, quality assurance, and quality control procedures have gone through a rigorous review process and have met specific qualifications,” stated Sharon Robbins, director of diagnostic imaging at HealthAlliance Hospital. “It is important for patients to know that every aspect of the ACR accreditation process is overseen by board-certified, expert radiologists and medical physicists in advanced diagnostic imaging. Our hospital has voluntarily gone through a vigorous review process to ensure that we meet nationally-accepted standards of care. Our personnel are well qualified, through education and certification, to perform medical imaging and interpret images; our equipment is appropriate for the test or treatment patients receive, and our facility meets or exceeds quality assurance and safety guidelines.”
The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 34,000 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.