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. To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com.
