HCN News & Notes

Advanced Vein Care Center Earns Three-year ACR Ultrasound Accreditation

SPRINGFIELD — Advanced Vein Care Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in ultrasound after 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.

“Quality vein treatments begin with an accurate and complete ultrasound examination,” said Dr. K. Francis Lee, medical director at Advanced Vein Care Center. “We are committed to providing our patients with the highest level of expertise and testing, which is why we seek this accreditation.”

Lee and his clinical team, which includes four registered vascular technologists, use the latest ultrasound technology to create a map of the anatomy of a patient’s leg veins and the specific locations of venous insufficiency. This condition occurs when the valves in the veins malfunction, causing blood to pool inside the veins in the legs, resulting in varicose veins and other issues.

Vein mapping provides a detailed evaluation of the patient’s venous physiology and serves as an essential guide during the treatment process for patients with varicose or spider veins.

ACR accreditation is the gold standard in imaging accreditation, representing 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. The 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.