Barrington, IL- Earning breast imaging accreditation is not an easy task, but one that Advocate Good Shepherd’s Breast Center worked very hard to achieve. This designation is given by the American College of Radiology (ACR) to those centers that have earned accreditation in all of the College’s voluntary, breast-imaging accreditation programs and modules, in addition to the mandatory Mammography Accreditation Program.

Being recognized a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence at Good Shepherd Hospital means:

• The Breast Center has voluntarily gone through a rigorous review process to be sure it meets nationally accepted standards 
• Personnel in the Center are well qualified, through education and certification, to perform and interpret medical images and administer radiation therapy treatments 
• Equipment is appropriate for the test or treatments patient receive  
• Facility meets or exceeds quality assurance and safety guidelines.

“Earning this designation shows our commitment to our patients and the fight against breast disease,” says Charlotte Dioguardi, RN Breast Center Manager. “We are very proud of what we have accomplished and the peace of mind this designation can bring to the patients we see in our center every day.”

The breast imaging services at Good Shepherd’s Breast Center are fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Peer-review evaluations, conducted in each breast imaging modality by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field, have determined that this facility has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs.

The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs for focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology, as well as the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

About Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

Advocate Good Shepherd in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is ranked highest in Illinois for quality and patient safety according to Blue Cross Blue Shield’s 2011 Blue Star Report™. Advocate is a faith-based organization that exists to serve its communities. In 2010, Advocate provided more than $474,000,000 in charity care and services to its communities. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital: www.advocatehealth.com/goodshep

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