Inside Duke Medicine
DRH Ultrasound Department receives ACR accreditation
posted August 30th, 2010Durham Regional Hospital’s ultrasound department has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
“We are extremely proud of the ultrasound team for the dedication they show to our patients every day,” says Greg Thon, director of radiology. “This accreditation shows that this team has the skill level and technology to perform most all ultrasounds a physician may order.”
The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess both the qualifications of the staff and equipment.
“All ultrasound technologists at Durham Regional are certified in ultrasound,” says Cindy Franklin, RT (R) (N) CNMT, interim ultrasound supervisor. “This means they have all been thoroughly trained and have passed an exam that requires proficient knowledge of ultrasound.”
An ultrasound is made of high frequency mechanical waves. It is widely used in medical imaging for the evaluation of a patient’s organs. Ultrasound energy is transmitted into the patient then returning echoes can be used to form an image of a structure.
Durham Regional Hospital offers ultrasound to check the development of babies, evaluate pelvic pain, shoulder pain, abdominal conditions, cysts or other masses and blood flow through your arteries or veins.
The ACR is a national organization serving more than 34,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.