Breast Imaging Center at Penn Highlands Elk Earns High Honor

The Breast Imaging Center at Penn Highlands Elk has been working hard to become an ACR Center of Excellence. The hospital received notification on August 24 that it achieved this high honor. This designation is awarded only to centers that have proven they meet the highest standards of professionalism in offering all the essential services to the community.

“When you come to Penn Highlands Elk for diagnostic imaging, we want you to trust us implicitly,” says Lisa Housler, Director of Ancillary Services. “That is why we take our jobs very seriously and strive to be the best. I couldn’t be more proud of our staff for their hard work in achieving this Center of Excellence distinction.”

Elk’s Breast Imaging Center has achieved accreditation by the ACR (American College of Radiology) in all of its modalities (or classifications of imaging technique). Accreditation represents outstanding quality and comes as a result of an extensive review of image clarity, staff qualifications and quality control procedures. It is awarded only to facilities meeting rigorous technical standards.

The Breast Imaging Center at Penn Highlands Elk has received accreditation in the following areas:

• Mammography
• Breast Ultrasound
• Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy
• Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Housler explains the rigorous process. “For one of our recent accreditations, we had to conduct 16 case studies, reviewing images from various internal organs, tissue and bones."

There are only 106 facilities with the Center of Excellence status across the U.S. In the last year, only seven facilities were added.

The Breast Imaging Center is part of the Imaging Department at Penn Highlands Elk, which offers a full range of diagnostic testing including X-ray, CT scans, PET scans, MRI, nuclear medicine, and bone density screening. For information about the Imaging Center at Penn Highlands Elk, please call (814) 788-8791.