Northwest Hospital Breast Care Center receives American College of Radiology Accreditation

The Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital has been awarded accreditation in digital mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The Breast Care Center has held ACR accreditation ever since the organization started accrediting for mammography in 1992. The Breast Care Center’s first digital mammography unit received accreditation in December 2007, and this new designation is for its second digital unit.

Digital mammography is one of the most advanced technologies available to detect breast cancer. Full-field digital mammography has revolutionized the practice of mammography by providing a crisper, sharper image that increases the diagnostic information the radiologist needs in detecting cancers and breast abnormalities.

For the Northwest Hospital Breast Care Center to earn accreditation, the ACR assessed the qualifications of its radiologists, medical physicists and mammography technologists and reviewed equipment standards, image quality, reporting and patient follow-up.

The Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center is part of LifeBridge Health’s Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute. All of its mammography technology is digital, and as a certified Softer Mammogram Provider, it is one of only a few centers in the Baltimore area offering women a free MammoPad®, an FDA-cleared, warmed, foam cushion that dramatically eases the discomfort many women feel when they get a mammogram.

In addition to digital mammography, the center offers medical services such as breast ultrasound, breast biopsy and bone densitometry. Visit our Web site to learn more.

Evening and Saturday appointments are available. For more information about the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital, or to make an appointment, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

The National Cancer Society guidelines recommend annual mammograms beginning at age 40 for all women. But despite increased public awareness, many women still skip these important procedures. If you had a friend or loved one who refused to get a mammogram, how would you counsel her?