For hospitals and health systems, earning breast imaging accreditation is no cake walk. The American College of Radiology designates a breast imaging center of excellence on several factors. The centers must pass rigorous, though voluntary, breast imaging accreditation programs and modules. The holy grail of breast imaging, mammography, is a cornerstone of a breast imaging center of excellence, as facilities must pass the ACR's mandatory Mammography Accreditation Program.
But what exactly are the advantages of having a breast imaging center of excellence? This past June, the Breast Health Center at Georgia Health Sciences Health System in Augusta, Ga., was designated as the area's only breast imaging center of excellence by the ACR and only the 15th within the entire state of Georgia. Suzanne Thigpen, MD, breast imager at the Breast Health Center and an assistant professor or radiology at Georgia Health Sciences University, shares five of the biggest benefits a hospital or health system can see from having a breast imaging center of excellence.
1. Modality accreditation. Achieving BICOE status puts a gold star not just on a hospital's mammography but other modalities as well. Dr. Thigpen says breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy and stereotactic breast biopsy modalities are all accredited under the center of excellence designation.
2. Enhanced personnel training. Physicians, technologists, radiologists and physicists all require additional training and education in the accredited modalities. Dr. Thigpen says this enhanced training ensures that staff are proficient in the most recent breast imaging developments. "It guarantees all physicians are board-certified and have particular expertise in breast imaging — they are not just people who wander in once a week or month," Dr. Thigpen says. "These are people who deal with it primarily."
3. Increased research abilities. Dr. Thigpen says physicians within BICOEs are able to peer review colleagues, leading to more dialogue and helpful discussion in breast imaging topics. However, she adds there is an even bigger research advantage. Facilities that receive BICOE designation are able to participate in the National Mammography Database for free. The NMD uses data that radiology practices already collect under federal mandate to give comparative information and provide reports on benchmarking data such as cancer detection rates and recall rates. Dr. Thigpen says this is a huge benefit, as it allows staff to assess their patient population better without any additional cost.
4. New breast imaging technologies. After receiving BICOE designation, the Breast Health Center adopted new technologies — 3D breast tomosynthesis, in particular. This technology, also known as 3D mammography, was just approved by the FDA in February and produces a three-dimensional image of the breast, giving clearer views of breast tissues and possibly allowing physicians to spot cancers more easily, Dr. Thigpen says. The Breast Health Center offers the technology to all patients, as opposed to only offering it to patients with potential problems after initial screenings. She adds that the newer technology such as 3D breast tomosynthesis gives the institution more recognition as a leader in breast imaging techniques, while attaining center of excellence status gives the technology even more credence.
5. Higher reputation. Back in the 1950s, women with breast cancer had as high a risk of dying as people with lung cancer, but mammography and the science of breast imaging have cut the death rate and saved women's lives by detecting breast problems earlier. Dr. Thigpen says achieving BICOE status shows the level of commitment a hospital has to fighting breast disease, a social cause and movement that has grown significantly. "It just demonstrates that you're performing at a high level and that you're doing as well as you can for the benefit of your patients," she says.
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But what exactly are the advantages of having a breast imaging center of excellence? This past June, the Breast Health Center at Georgia Health Sciences Health System in Augusta, Ga., was designated as the area's only breast imaging center of excellence by the ACR and only the 15th within the entire state of Georgia. Suzanne Thigpen, MD, breast imager at the Breast Health Center and an assistant professor or radiology at Georgia Health Sciences University, shares five of the biggest benefits a hospital or health system can see from having a breast imaging center of excellence.
1. Modality accreditation. Achieving BICOE status puts a gold star not just on a hospital's mammography but other modalities as well. Dr. Thigpen says breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy and stereotactic breast biopsy modalities are all accredited under the center of excellence designation.
2. Enhanced personnel training. Physicians, technologists, radiologists and physicists all require additional training and education in the accredited modalities. Dr. Thigpen says this enhanced training ensures that staff are proficient in the most recent breast imaging developments. "It guarantees all physicians are board-certified and have particular expertise in breast imaging — they are not just people who wander in once a week or month," Dr. Thigpen says. "These are people who deal with it primarily."
3. Increased research abilities. Dr. Thigpen says physicians within BICOEs are able to peer review colleagues, leading to more dialogue and helpful discussion in breast imaging topics. However, she adds there is an even bigger research advantage. Facilities that receive BICOE designation are able to participate in the National Mammography Database for free. The NMD uses data that radiology practices already collect under federal mandate to give comparative information and provide reports on benchmarking data such as cancer detection rates and recall rates. Dr. Thigpen says this is a huge benefit, as it allows staff to assess their patient population better without any additional cost.
4. New breast imaging technologies. After receiving BICOE designation, the Breast Health Center adopted new technologies — 3D breast tomosynthesis, in particular. This technology, also known as 3D mammography, was just approved by the FDA in February and produces a three-dimensional image of the breast, giving clearer views of breast tissues and possibly allowing physicians to spot cancers more easily, Dr. Thigpen says. The Breast Health Center offers the technology to all patients, as opposed to only offering it to patients with potential problems after initial screenings. She adds that the newer technology such as 3D breast tomosynthesis gives the institution more recognition as a leader in breast imaging techniques, while attaining center of excellence status gives the technology even more credence.
5. Higher reputation. Back in the 1950s, women with breast cancer had as high a risk of dying as people with lung cancer, but mammography and the science of breast imaging have cut the death rate and saved women's lives by detecting breast problems earlier. Dr. Thigpen says achieving BICOE status shows the level of commitment a hospital has to fighting breast disease, a social cause and movement that has grown significantly. "It just demonstrates that you're performing at a high level and that you're doing as well as you can for the benefit of your patients," she says.
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