HUTCHINSON — The American College of Radiology (ACR) has awarded Hutchinson Regional Medical Center (HRMC) a three-year accreditation in nuclear medicine following a recent on-site review. 

Raleigh White, director of Imaging Services at Hutch Regional, coordinated the application process with the help of hospital staff. White describes nuclear medicine as an important branch of medical imaging.

“Specifically, nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by a patient, to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancer, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body,” White said. “This particular accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety.”

Only hospitals 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 are eligible for the certification. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are assessed. 

Ken Johnson, president and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, said an ACR accreditation is a distinction sought by most health-care organizations throughout the nation. “This honor signifies that the Hutch Regional Radiology Department has successfully met a long list of criteria required by ACR which confirms this department as one of the nation’s best in nuclear medicine.”

The ACR, founded in 1924, is a professional medical society headquartered in Richmond, Virginia and dedicated to empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice.