While mammograms are routine screenings (at least, we hope you are making them routine—annually starting at age 40), not all mammograms are created equal. In fact, certain factors can make one mammogram superior to another—namely facility, personnel and equipment. All have bearing on both quality and safety. But how are patients to know that one practice offers superior breast imaging, while another simply provides the bare minimum? Fortunately, the American College of Radiology (ACR) takes the guesswork out of it.

The ACR is the nation’s largest and oldest imaging accrediting body and a professional organization of 34,000 physicians. They’re the authority on imaging, from screenings like mammograms all the way to minimally invasive procedures. And when it comes to breast centers, they’ve made it easy for patients. The ACR has determined criteria that centers must meet in order to become a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence—and these criteria are above and beyond the standards required of all mammography programs.

Here’s what you need to know about Breast Imaging Centers of Excellence:

• They’ve voluntarily undergone a rigorous review process.
• They’ve met the nationally accepted standards of care.
• Personnel are well qualified to perform your procedure and interpret your medical images.
• Equipment has been assessed and verified by a medical imaging expert, ensuring proper function, optimal quality and appropriate radiation dose levels.

Simply put, achieving this status acknowledges a practice’s dedication to improving women’s health.

Eastern Radiologists’ Breast Imaging Center is proud to be an ACR-accredited Breast Center of Excellence. We earned the designation in 2007 and were one of the first in the state to do so. Today our center is the premier freestanding breast imaging facility in eastern North Carolina, staffed by a team of board-certified, dedicated breast imaging physicians. It serves as hub to a network of 14 mammography sites, and every single breast exam is interpreted by our subspecialized radiologists, who have the experience and training to find smaller, more inscrutable breast cancers that others may miss. Here, patients get state-of-the-art breast imaging in a comfortable, patient-oriented environment. We’re proud to be a nationally recognized leader in our field, and we consider it a privilege to serve the women of eastern North Carolina.

Learn more about our comprehensive breast imaging services, or schedule your annual mammogram today. But wherever you choose to have your mammogram, we urge you to check the qualifications of the facility and the entire team to ensure the highest level of care.