AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst satellite of Cooley Dickinson Hospital's Women's Imaging/Radiology department was recently notified that it has earned the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence distinction, a designation issued by the American College of Radiology's (ACR) Commission on Quality and Safety and the Commission on Breast Imaging.
 
According to the ACR, the designation is awarded when a center has achieved accreditation by the ACR in the imaging modalities of stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, and by the ACR or an FDA-approved state accrediting body in mammography.
 
Says Robin Nally, supervisor of mammography/radiology at the Amherst location: "Both of Cooley Dickinson's facilities are accredited by ACR in all of these modalities. Digital mammography and breast ultrasound services are available at both locations and stereotactic breast biopsy and ultrasound-guided biopsies are offered at the hospital in Northampton."
 
Mark Novotny, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs says "this designation represents Cooley Dickinson's commitment to excellence in patient care, bringing the best available women's health imaging services as close to the patient as possible."
 
The  designation signifies that the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Women's Imaging facilities provide essential services to the community at the highest standards of the radiology profession.
 
The primary imaging site, located at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, earned the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence distinction in 2007.
 
The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation.  Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.
 
The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and a radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.