The McLeod Breast Health Center is the first in the region to achieve a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

By awarding facilities the status of a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, the ACR recognizes breast imaging centers that have achieved accreditation in all of the College’s voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs and modules, in addition to the mandatory Mammography Accreditation Program.

"Our patients can be assured that our staff and facility meet national standards in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer," said Dr. Noel Phipps, McLeod Radiologist. "This accreditation is a demonstration of our commitment to the patients we serve."

"A priority of the McLeod Breast Health Center is providing the highest level of imaging quality and radiation safety to our patients," explains Beth Kurilla, McLeod Breast Imaging Diagnostic Supervisor.

The breast imaging services at the McLeod Breast Health Center are fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Peer-review evaluations, conducted in each breast imaging modality by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field, have determined that McLeod has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs.

When breast cancer is diagnosed at an early, localized stage, it has a very high cure rate of greater than ninety percent. Yearly screening mammograms can also help to detect breast cancer early when it is very treatable.

For more than 20 years, the McLeod Breast Health Center has served the region in the fight against breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States. In 2013 alone, there were 276 cases of breast cancer diagnosed at McLeod.

About the ACR

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs for focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology, as well as the delivery of comprehensive health care services.