Froedtert Hospital is 8th in the nation, designated as a 'Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence'
For Immediate Release —
Media contact: Beth Strohbusch, (414) 805-3057. beth.strohbusch@froedtert.com
NOTE: Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence graphic availalbe on request
Froedtert Hospital is Eighth in the Nation Designated as a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence
Milwaukee, WI (September 30, 2014) – The American College of Radiology (ACR) has recognized Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital as a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence™ (DICOE,) the first organization in the Midwest and eighth in the United States to secure this honor.
According to the ACR, DICOE achievement goes beyond accreditation to represent the pinnacle of medical imaging quality. The intensive review process involves comprehensive assessment of the enterprise’s entire medical imaging structure and outcomes, as well as validation of excellence among staff, technology and policies and procedures.
“This is an extremely positive and significant advance in radiology, not only for the nation’s 36,000 imaging professionals in hospitals and free-standing imaging centers, but most importantly for patients,” said Dr. Charles Marn, radiologist and chair of the quality assurance committee for the Froedtert Hospital Imaging Services department. “As eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center, Froedtert Hospital’s has a longstanding and ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality and safest medical imaging in the state. Our entire team is honored to receive this esteemed ACR designation.”
To receive this elite distinction, facilities must have ACR accreditation in all of the College’s modality programs (MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, breast imaging, radiation oncology and more.) Facilities must also participate in the Dose Index Registry® and General Radiology Improvement Database, and the Image Wisely® and Image Gently® programs. These voluntary ACR programs exist to optimize image study selection, image quality and dose reduction.
Marn explained that until recently, the ACR accredited facilities that met minimal standards in some modalities. The DICOE program adds a data-driven methodology to identify and recognize enterprises that surpass minimums thresholds and reach the highest levels of imaging quality, safety and care.
“Froedtert Hospital has successfully met numerous quality and excellence goals set during the past decade, giving us a jump-start on securing DICOE designation,” said Marn. “It may take years for some entities to complete the rigorous process.”
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital is a 500-bed academic medical center and a leading referral resource for advanced medical care. Froedtert Hospital also operates the region’s only adult Level I Trauma Center. The primary adult teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital is a major training facility for more than 1,000 medical, nursing and health technical students annually. It is also a respected research center, participating in some 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials, every year. Froedtert Hospital is located on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus. Campus partners are: BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Curative Care Network, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. For information, visit froedtert.com.
