Hospital again earns ACR accreditation

RUMFORD -- Rumford Hospital has again been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as a result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Mammography uses a low-dose, digital x-ray system to examine breasts to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases in women.

"We wanted to go for accreditation because it represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety," says Jean Soubble, lead mammography technologist. "We believe that the accreditation gives our patients added confidence in the hospital and its staff."

Accreditation 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. The review includes checking image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs.

Soubble and Karen Welch, a fellow mammography technologist, worked to ensure that the accreditation process went smoothly and successfully by carefully making sure all quality control testing was complete, assuring that the physicians and technicians were current with continuing education credits, selecting a variety of completed exams with different types of breasts and extensive paperwork required.

Rumford Hospital's Mammography Suite is a private space located on the second floor of the hospital adjacent to the bone density testing suite. This out of the way location makes it convenient for women to have both a mammogram and a bone density test at the same time.