All facilities providing mammography must be certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the MQSA (Mammography Quality Standards Act). To be certified, a facility must be accredited. The American College of Radiology (ACR) has been designated as an accrediting body by the FDA and provides the Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP). In addition, mammography facilities may also wish to seek accreditation from the ACR for:
- Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
- Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy
- Diagnostic Ultrasound
Accreditation provides many benefits including:
- Peer review, educationally-focused evaluation of practice
- May document need for dedicated equipment, continuing education, or qualified personnel
- Expert assessment of image quality
- Formal review may be used to meet criteria of ACS, State, Federal Government, or third-party payers
- Marketing tool to inform referring physicians and patients of high quality
For more information on these accreditation programs, please visit http://www.acr.org/accreditation.aspx
Updated: September 25, 2007
