CDH Earns Medical-imaging Accreditations

NORTHAMPTON — As the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR), Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Computed Tomography (CT) department has earned two three-year accreditations.

According to the ACR, the accreditations represent the highest level of image quality and patient safety. The accreditation is awarded only to facilities that meet ACR practice guidelines and technical standards following a peer-review evaluation by independent, board-certified physicians and medical physicists. “ACR accreditation is recognized as the gold standard in our field,” said CT Team Leader Ellen Laroche.

“This recognition means Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s diagnostic CT department has gone through a comprehensive review to earn accreditation status and that our CT technologists are well-qualified to perform the procedures and interpret medical images,” added Laroche, noting that both of the diagnostic machines earned accreditation. CT technologists are also certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

Currently, CDH offers two diagnostic scanners, one 64-slice and one 16-slice. The scanners are used to diagnose many types of illnesses and injuries, including cancer. Laroche said the ‘slices’ refer to the number of images that can be taken in one rotation of the machine. The images can be viewed in 3-D formats to aid physicians in diagnosis and treatment planning.

ACR is a national organization that serves more than 34,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear-medicine physicians.