Specialist Accreditation Achieved by KEMH Mammography Unit

Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announces the successful accreditation of its digital mammography unit at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This specialist, diagnostic accreditation runs from June 2011 to June 2014 and is the gold standard for mammography departments across North America.

KEMH’s Mammography Team has maintained accreditation with the ACR since 1998, but this is the first time the service has been accredited since the implementation of its new GE Healthcare Senographe Digital Mammography System.

“We are very excited that our new equipment has been surveyed and successfully accredited,” says Dr Daniel Stovell, Chief of Diagnostic Imaging. “Women have every right to expect that their mammography service in Bermuda is safe, comfortable and working at the same quality as mammography services in the US. Accreditation by the ACR provides independent validation that the hospital’s mammography team is providing women in Bermuda with the highest quality of care.”

KEMH has the only digital mammography service on island equipped with a Stereotactic Interventional device for biopsies. Outstanding image quality is critical to breast biopsy procedures and the new system provides excellent visibility for clinical confidence. It is an efficient and effective way to provide an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible.

Mammography’s Senior Imaging Technologist, Terricca Glasford, comments: “We make every effort to make having a mammogram as easy as possible, from the moment a woman schedules her appointment and parks in our free, dedicated parking bays to the effort we put into making the mammogram as painless as possible. The ACR accreditors review our technology, techniques, and how we position and image our patient. They also ensure we use the lowest possible levels of radiation and have a very low number of re-takes, reducing further radiation exposure and the distress patients would experience having to re-do a mammogram.”

Representatives from the American College of Radiology Mammography Accreditation Program also note: “The KEMH Mammography team should display its new ACR Accreditation Certificate so that it is visible to all of patients. It signifies that the facility provides an essential service to its community at the highest standards of the radiology profession.”

Since the new digital machine went live in October 2011, over 2,700 mammograms have been carried out. The Mammography team consists of four qualified, registered mammography technologists and four radiologists. The fully-accredited Mammography Program includes a diversified breast imaging department, consisting of diagnostic and screening mammography, breast ultrasonography, and stereotactic biopsy procedures. To make an appointment, people can call 239-XRAY (239-9729).

This accreditation augments the BHB’s organisational accreditation with Accreditation Canada.

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