Trinity Health System congratulates Kristy Retton, R.T. (R)(M), Supervisor of the Trinity Health System Images Mammography Center; Dr. Grace Rathfon, Director of Images; and their team for achieving three-year recertification from the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Retton said the Images Mammography Center’s ACR Accreditation license renewal process was started on June 15, 2022, with recertification achieved by August 25, 2022.
According to the ACR Accreditation website, “ACR Accreditation is recognized as the gold standard in medical imaging. By displaying the gold seals of ACR Accreditation, you can demonstrate to your patients, payers and referring physicians that you are committed to providing the safest and best quality care possible.”
This intensive process involves combined scrutiny of 2D and 3D mammograms and requires perfect images for both fatty and dense breast scans.
These scans are then submitted electronically to the ACR. The process also requests documentation of qualifications, volume of patients, and continuing education from all the Radiologists, Mammogram Technologists, and Medical Physicists, as well as meeting the required volume numbers and answering complex questions about the Images Mammography Center’s processes and procedures.
Images must also meet the requirement of passing the Annual Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) inspection through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the State of Ohio, which was passed in March of 2022.
Cooperation from the Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) Administrator, Sarah Moses, was essential, Retton said.
ACR takes about five weeks to review the submission, after which a clear-cut decision is made regarding an organization’s certification status.
Because of their commitment to excellence, Trinity Health System’s Images Mammography Center is now certified through January 2026.
“When a patient sees that you’ve passed this accreditation, they can see you’ve been recognized for hitting that high-level mark,” Retton said. “The staff, Dr. Rathfon, and I worked very hard to achieve this.”
“We can guarantee the women of our community that they’re getting the best-quality mammograms and the most up-to-date mammograms,” she added. “When they come here, they know they’re receiving excellent care and treatment.”
For more information or to schedule an interview with Kristy Retton, please contact Laurie Labishak at 740-283-7296 or via email at [email protected].