Edgewood, KY— St. Elizabeth Healthcare has been designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence™ (DICOE) by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This prestigious honor encompasses St. Elizabeth imaging centers in Alexandria, Hebron and Independence, as well as all hospital locations and the Women’s Wellness Center. The DICOE program, which represents the pinnacle of medical imaging care, 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. The DICOE designation recognizes excellence at multiple levels — including the professional staff, the technology and the policies and procedures the organization follows — and superior patient care.

“This is wonderful news, and the fruit of a six-year process,” says Garren Colvin, St. Elizabeth President and CEO. “St. Elizabeth is dedicated to top-of-the-line technology with the most highly trained and qualified physicians and associates. This leads to better accuracy, better outcomes, and less radiation exposure to our patients. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of safety and quality because that’s best for the community we serve. Patients can come to St. Elizabeth knowing that we provide the highest quality care in the region.”

In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in all modalities they provide, and in which the ACR offers an accreditation program. Another requirement is to participate in the Dose Index Registry® and General Radiology Improvement Database, as well as Image Wisely® and Image Gently®.

St. Elizabeth is now part of an exclusive group of less than 200 imaging facilities and less than 90 healthcare systems throughout the country to receive this distinction. St. Elizabeth is also the only healthcare system in Kentucky and the entire Greater Cincinnati region to be named a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence. St. Elizabeth Imaging conducts more than 350,000 exams and treats more than 240,000 patients each year.

Founded in 1924, ACR is one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States. The ACR devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.