Derry Imaging receives renewal from ACR in just 11 days
The paper pinned to the bulletin board in the technologist area used to be a sure sign that our ACR accreditation was fast approaching.
Each day, technologists would jot down study numbers for the cases they believed represented their best work and should be submitted as part of our accreditation renewal.
I would review the cases they flagged for each mammography system and breast density category and, more often than not, post a new sheet of paper asking for more.
A new round of positioning and compression guidance would follow, a new schedule of patients—and so we’d repeat this process, often for weeks, until I was confident that we were ready to submit our staff’s best work.
Thankfully, there is a better, simpler way to manage the ACR accreditation process: Volpara®Enterprise™ software.
VolparaEnterprise provides a comprehensive assessment of quality on every screening mammogram performed in our imaging center and presents performance and quality metrics in a series of user-friendly dashboards.
In our last accreditation, the weeks-long bulletin board process was no more. I simply logged into my dashboard in VolparaEnterprise and took simple steps.
I used a report in VolparaEnterprise to locate candidates for normal, high-quality images (Perfect and Good) for each mammography system and breast density category.
I aggregated the information highlighted on that report, prepared the supporting forms and images, and then uploaded it to the ACR Accreditation site all in one day.
The additional submission/reviews with my staff became unnecessary. I was confident in the objective evidence offered by Volpara that demonstrated Derry Imaging’s compliance and quality of care.
In our previous compliance process, I would often wait up to two months for comments or renewal. With our first submission using VolparaEnterprise to complete our ACR Accreditation, we received renewal within 11 days. We were astounded.
VolparaEnterprise has not only simplified our compliance, it’s become a critical foundation for our quality culture. After an accreditation, it can be a challenge to continuously train and motivate technologists who believe they provide the “gold standard” of image quality. Using VolparaEnterprise, we can always objectively analyze our technologists’ performance—not just during an accreditation. Our staff now has summaries of their own performance at their fingertips. And we can offer additional real-time training to those who need it to make sure every woman’s mammogram is the best we can offer.
About Derry Imaging
Derry Imaging Center is accredited by the ACR and the IAC for mammography, MRI, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and cardiology. We are an Accredited Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and one of the first in the area to offer 3D Mammography.
About the Author
Deborah (Deb) Hamel, A.S., R.T.(R)(M)(ARRT), CN-BI, Consultant, currently works at Derry Imaging Center in Derry, New Hampshire, as both a Clinical Manager and Breast Health Navigator . Prior to Derry Imaging Center, Deb worked at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA.
With over 30 years of experience, Deb has been involved in staff trainings, implementation of ACR accreditation requirements, stereotactic biopsies, and breast tomosynthesis training. She is an expert in mammography positioning training, workflow analysis, and the MQSA/FDA inspection process.
Deb has mentored and trained under Louise Miller and is proud to be a consultant for Mammography Educators. She spreads her love of teaching while sharing knowledge and techniques that leave mammographers rejuvenated about themselves and their profession. In 2015, Deb received certification as a Breast Imaging Navigator by the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) and in 2019 received her certification in Breast Ultrasound.
