Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has been designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, making it the third pediatric hospital in the United States to earn the designation.
The Imaging Program at the Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s leading programs for children, with a team made up of more than 250 pediatric radiologists, nurses and technologists who have special training in care for infants, children and teens.
“This designation represents the absolute pinnacle of medical imaging care, and is a hallmark of the elite pediatric care Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin provides as the only health system in Wisconsin 100-percent dedicated to caring for kids,” said Dr. David Gregg, medical director of pediatric imaging at Children’s Hospital and associate professor of radiology at Medical College of Wisconsin. “As a top pediatric hospital, we know that caring for kids requires a unique set of skills and is not the same as caring for adults. Our imaging specialists are board certified in pediatric radiology, and many have specialized fellowships in pediatric body imaging, head and neck imaging or invasive radiology, meaning our team knows how to obtain the best images using the lowest doses of radiation possible.”
The Children’s Hospital Imaging Department completes more than 125,000 exams annually and has a repeat rate for pediatric imaging exams of 3.6 percent, which is below the national average of 5.5 percent.
Children’s Hospital’s Imaging Team makes the imaging experience as comfortable as possible for children by telling them what’s going on in language they can understand and using a variety of distraction techniques, such as singing songs or playing music or videos during the procedure.
The American College of Radiology’s Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence is an achievement that goes beyond accreditation to recognize best-quality imaging practices and diagnostic care. This includes a comprehensive assessment of the entire medical imaging enterprise, including structure and outcomes. According to the American College of Radiology, the designation recognizes excellence at multiple levels, including the professional staff, the technology and the policies and procedures the organization follows, and superior patient care.
In order to receive the distinction, facilities must be accredited by the American College of Radiology for all modalities they provide, and for which the college offers an accreditation program. Other requirements include participation in the Dose Index Registry and General Radiology Improvement Database, as well as Image Wisely and Image Gently.
