Monmouth Medical Center is First in New Jersey to Achieve Prestigious Accreditation for 16 Slice CT Scanner

Long Branch, November 3, 2004 – Monmouth Medical Center has been awarded a three-year accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for its16-Slice CT Scanner – the first accreditation of this advanced CT technology in New Jersey.

According to Thomas Piccoli, DABR, Medical Physicist and Radiation Safety Officer at Monmouth Medical Center, the accreditation is the result of a comprehensive survey recently completed by the ACR.

“The accreditation was granted following a six month review by two independent radiologists, and two independent medical physicists using standardized evaluation methods established by the ACR,” explains Piccoli. “Monmouth Medical Center’s 16-Slice CT Scanner met all of the comprehensive testing criteria established by the ACR for clinical images, physics images and dose measurements,” he added.

Monmouth Medical Center currently maintains two four-slice CT scanners, as well as the 16-Slice CT Scanner, which was purchased in January of 2004. In addition to receiving New Jersey’s first ACR accreditation for its 16-slice CT Scanner, the Medical Center was second in the state to receive accreditation for its two four-slice scanners. According to Piccoli, the three state-of-the-art multi-slice scanners are utilized for all types of imaging, providing high quality images in less time and with less radiation.
“With this newest ACR accreditation,” says Piccoli, “Monmouth Medical Center now has ACR accreditation in CT, MRI, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Breast Imaging, Stereotactic Breast Biopsy, and Breast Ultrasound and Breast Guided Biopsy.

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, awards accreditation to facilities who have achieved compliance with their high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of its practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of the facilities equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.

“Receiving this prestigious accreditation means a great deal to Monmouth Medical Center,” says Frank Vozos, M.D., Executive Director at Monmouth Medical Center, “but it is also tremendously important to our patients as well.
“ACR Accreditation offers a benchmark for patients to utilize when selecting a facility for their imaging needs. The stringent requirements and rigorous evaluations we have passed in order to achieve this most recent accreditation, and all of our ACR accreditations, provides our patients with an added level of assurance – that they have made the right choice in selecting Monmouth Medical Center for their imaging needs.”