In July, the Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee passed a rigorous evaluation of its Diagnostic Imaging Department, earning a three-year term of accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR).
To be awarded ACR accreditation, a facility must meet very stringent guidelines. The ACR reviews the equipment used and evaluates the radiologists to determine their level of skill in performing and interpreting images.
Tahoe Forest Hospital provides mammography, bone density, and ultrasound technology in the new Briner Imaging Center. The mammography department opened in fall 2006 as part of the hospital’s western addition. The digital mammography imaging department provides high-tech quality advantages compared to analogue images, which were used prior to the recent upgrade.
With digital mammography the magnification, orientation, brightness, and contrast of the mammogram image may be manipulated after the exam is completed to help the radiologist see more clearly certain areas of the breast. In addition, digital mammography has the benefit of a quicker exam. The system uses Computer-Aided Detection (CAD), technology that highlights any abnormalities it detects, and alerts the radiologist to focus on these areas. As a result, more cancers can be detected earlier, at a more treatable stage, said Pete Stokich, the hospital’s director of diagnostic imaging.
Digital and standard film mammography have similar accuracy rates; however, digital mammography is significantly better at screening women in the following categories:
• Under age 50, regardless of what level of breast tissue density they had
• Of any age with very dense or extremely dense breasts
• Pre- or peri-menopausal women of any age.
‘The Briner Imaging department has found that women are specifically searching for mammography facilities offering digital mammography,’ Stokich said.
The unit’s namesake, Dr. Monica Stoy Briner, established the radiology department at Tahoe Forest Hospital, where she worked from 1951 to 1970. Briner lent her expertise in developing rural health clinics, managed the development of radiology services, and sought to understand her patients’ needs.
~ Press Release
