FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Holy Cross HealthPlex in Fort Lauderdale has been awarded accreditation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and breast MRIs by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety.

MRI is a noninvasive medical test that utilizes magnetic fields to produce anatomical images of internal body parts to help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. MRI of the breast offers valuable information about many breast conditions that may not be obtained by other imaging modalities, such as mammography or ultrasound.

The three-year accreditation 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 all-new MRI machine offered at the Holy Cross HealthPlex, the Siemens 1.5T MAGNETOM Aera MRI, has a long list of benefits, including providing fast, personalized exams tailored to body types and specific needs while enhancing patient comfort. The HealthPlex also offers other imaging services such as computerized tomography, X-rays, ultrasound  and specialized women’s services, including 3D mammography.

The ACR, founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to serving patients by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care. The College 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 health care services.