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News Release
UPMC NORTHWEST EARNS NUCLEAR MEDICINE ACCREDITATION Feb. 16, 2007 — After earning several imaging accreditations in 2006, UPMC Northwest has achieved another one of these marks of excellence for its newest nuclear medicine system. The American College of Radiology (ACR) granted accreditation of the hospital’s Philips Forte nuclear imaging system, which is used both for nuclear cardiology and nuclear medicine exams. Several of the Forte system’s features – dual heads instead of one (provides superior images and speeds the scanning process), three-dimensional display of the pumping heart (which maximizes what the exam reveals), and measurement of the heart’s ejection fraction (which indicates how strongly the heart pumps blood) – give UPMC Northwest better nuclear cardiology capabilities than ever, says nuclear medicine specialist Maggie Heffernan, RT(R&N), CNMT. The dual-purpose Forte system also is excellent for thyroid exams, bone and liver scans, and other nuclear medicine studies, Mrs. Heffernan says. The ACR last year granted first-time accreditation of the other components of UPMC Northwest’s nuclear medicine and nuclear cardiology departments including the hospital’s two other Philips nuclear imaging systems, the Cardio (used exclusively for cardiac stress tests) and Solus (used only for nuclear medicine studies). Also in 2006, UPMC Northwest earned first-time ACR accreditation of the hospital’s open MRI services, and achieved reaccreditation of its MRI, mammography, ultrasound, and stereotactic breast biopsy services. UPMC Northwest’s multiple imaging accreditations are a remarkable achievement that perhaps no other hospital in western Pennsylvania can equal, according to Imaging Services manager Dawn Cherry, RT(R).
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