Lake Huron Medical Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation
in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the result of a recent review by
the American College of Radiology (ACR). MRI is a noninvasive medical
test that utilizes magnetic fields to produce anatomical images of internal
body parts to help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.
Lake Huron Medical Center offers patients an alternative option to conventional
MRI with the introduction of a wide bore MRI machine, the only wide bore
technology available in St. Clair County. Wide bore technology provides
a more spacious environment, allowing patients to be more comfortable
when undergoing an MRI. Wide Bore MRI technology optimizes the comfort
of an open bore machine with the high-quality imaging of a conventional
closed bore system.
Additionally, the wide bore MRI technology also provides for more flexibility,
with Technologists able to move patients into more comfortable positions
and more accurate scanning; exam times are shortened with the increased
accuracy and speed of this wide bore technology; and the accuracy provides
greater diagnostic confidence.
The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image
quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR
Practice parameters and technical standards after a peer-review evaluation
by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in
the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility
equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are
assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation,
which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report that
can be used for continuous practice improvement.
The ACR, founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to
serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to
advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care. The
College serves more than 37,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists,
radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists
with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation
oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.