Naval Hospital Beaufort Receives Breast Ultrasound Accreditation, First in Navy Medicine

BEAUFORT, SC, UNITED STATES

12.20.2016

Story by Lisa Allen 

Naval Hospital Beaufort

According to the ACR website, the Breast Ultrasound Accreditation Program provides facilities performing breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsies peer review and constructive feedback on staff qualifications, equipment, quality control, quality assurance, accuracy of needle placement and image quality.
This is the sixth accreditation for the NHB Radiology Department. The department is accredited in every modality (radiology service) available at the hospital, to include Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound. Additionally, NHB is an ACR certified “Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening Center” and Pediatric “Image Gently” facility.
These accreditations set a gold standard for all Navy Radiology Departments to emulate. When asked why NHB submitted each modality for ACR accreditation Mr. Hassel (David) Estep, assistant department head for radiology, responded “we did it to prove that we meet or exceed the standard to be a high reliability organization. This work shows that our technologists, radiologists and equipment meets or exceeds the same standard as our patients should expect to receive in a civilian hospital.”
Achieving six accreditations is no easy feat; they are time intensive and require renewal every three years. In a military facility with active duty staff members rotating every two to three years the civilian personnel play an integral role in maintaining the accreditations. These individuals act as the “corporate knowledge” for the department, passing down information to the new active duty staff and ensuring all of the requirements are met to maintain the accreditations.
The success of the department relies heavily on the highly trained and motivated personnel managing the studies and running the equipment. Radiology Department Head Lt. Cdr. Stephen Pearson said “This accreditation is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the radiology personnel at NHB. It is an honor to work alongside such a talented and committed staff.”
One of NHB’s busiest clinics, the radiology department has processed more than 25,000 studies in 2016. The department serves three military instillations, and has partnered with the Veteran’s Administration to improve access to quality care for active duty service members, their families, military retirees and veterans.

• Date Taken: 12.20.2016
• Date Posted: 12.20.2016 15:30
• Story ID: 218292
• Location: BEAUFORT, SC, US