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News Release

UPMC NORTHWEST IMAGING DEPT. EARNS MARKS OF EXCELLENCE

Feb. 28, 2007 — Thanks to its well-credentialed staff and state-of-the-art equipment, UPMC Northwest’s Imaging Department consistently earns accolades that distinguish its services. The accreditation of its new Philips Forte nuclear imaging system in January by the American College of Radiology (ACR) gives UPMC Northwest more of these marks of excellence than ever.

Well-credentialed staff like John Rice and state-of-the-art equipment like this Philips Forte nuclear imaging system distinguish UPMC Northwest's Imaging Department.

UPMC Northwest now has achieved accreditation of a remarkable seven of its imaging services – open MRI, nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology, MRI, mammography, ultrasound, and stereotactic breast biopsy.

“This is a major achievement that perhaps no other hospital in our region can equal. It’s clear that we’re providing high quality care and that patients and their doctors can trust us to conduct thorough, safe exams,” says Doug Frankenburg, UPMC Northwest’s vice president of clinical services.

“Patients deserve the best quality examination to diagnose their illnesses, and our multiple accreditations are evidence that we’re providing exceptional quality,” says radiologist Donald Bittner, MD.

Accreditation is a voluntary process through which UPMC Northwest assures patients and physicians that it meets nationally accepted standards of care.

Here’s a closer look at UPMC Northwest’s most recent accreditations:

Ultrasound – UPMC Northwest’s obstetric, vascular, gynecologic, and general ultrasound services earned a stellar score of 99.95 percent in the hospital’s most recent accreditation survey, a mere fraction of a point from perfection.

UPMC Northwest’s three General Electric LOGIQ 700 ultrasound systems and one HDI 5000 unit give exceptional views of the upper abdomen, pelvis, breasts, and arteries, and superior prenatal ultrasound images, according to imaging services manager Dawn Cherry, RT(R)(M), who says the equipment also completes studies more quickly, making exams more convenient for patients.

The hospital’s almost perfect score “is a great credit to our staff and the quality of the exams they perform,” Mrs. Cherry says. “I can’t say enough about this and what a tremendous reflection it is on our ultrasound department.”

Open MRI – It’s very difficult to achieve accreditation of open MRI services, but UPMC Northwest’s General Electric Signa Ovation open MRI system and the services the hospital provides at its Open MRI Center in Reno clearly meet the ACR’s quality standards, says radiology systems analyst Tammy Brown, RT(R)(MR).

“It’s quite a feat to get open MRI accreditation,” Ms. Brown says. “It shows that we’re producing good images and meeting our patients’ diagnostic needs.”

Mrs. Cherry agrees and says the accreditation reflects our “excellent six-member staff and equipment, and shows we’re providing a high-quality diagnostic service for physicians who send their patients to our Open MRI Center.”

The three-year-old Open MRI Center is an “important part of our imaging capabilities because many patients (some children, larger individuals, and  claustrophobic patients) can’t undergo a regular MRI,” Dr. Bittner says.

Nuclear Medicine – Earning ACR accreditation of its nuclear medicine services for the first time also is a great achievement, Mrs. Cherry says. The hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department has six certified staff members, and it is equipped with three state-of-the art Philips nuclear imaging systems.

In contrast to most imaging exams that show the anatomy of an organ, nuclear medicine studies evaluate organ function, including that of the kidneys, gallbladder, liver, and thyroid. Nuclear exams also evaluate bone for evidence of fracture, infection, arthritis, and cancer.

Nuclear Cardiology – This first-time accreditation underscores the key role that UPMC Northwest’s Nuclear Cardiology Department and its staff play in the cardiac diagnostic process. The capabilities of the department’s new Philips Forte nuclear imaging system – including 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) – make the hospital’s nuclear cardiology services better than ever, says UPMC Northwest nuclear medicine specialist Maggie Heffernan, RT(R&N), CNMT.

UPMC Northwest’s nuclear medicine and nuclear cardiology accreditations demonstrate a commitment to quality care and patient safety, and set apart the hospital from other nuclear imaging services, including mobile systems that are emerging for use at non-hospital sites.

Another strength of UPMC Northwest’s Imaging Department is six board certified radiologists who interpret exams, according to Mrs. Cherry, who says it’s a “tremendous accomplishment to earn ACR approval of so many of our services.” Accreditation reflects UPMC Northwest’s commitment to “bring the best possible care to our patients.”