WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital awarded nuclear medicine accreditation

The WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Department of Radiology has been awarded a three-year accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The ACR seal of accreditation represents the gold standard for the industry and is awarded to facilities that have the ability to provide 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 provides the practice with a comprehensive report that can be used for continuous practice improvement.

“This accreditation demonstrates the department’s commitment to providing high quality care and continued review of processes and equipment for any areas of improvement,” Gary Marano, MD, medical director of PET/CT at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, said. “It’s an honor. It’s been a lot of work to achieve the accreditation, but it is worthwhile to be able to let everyone know we meet these standards.”

Only 1,579 nuclear medicine programs in the nation hold an ACR accreditation, and the WVU Medicine Department of Radiology has one of three ACR accredited nuclear medicine programs in the state. This is the first time the department has received this accreditation.

“We are proud of our program. We are able to offer different procedures no one else does, including tumor imaging that patients would have to go out of state to receive,” Dr. Marano said. “We are outstanding in regard to tumor imaging and our ability to diagnose bone problems, specifically with joint problems.”

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. It 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 healthcare services.