Improving Health Through Medical Physics

ACR Accreditation: Frequently Asked Questions for Medical Physicists

Priscilla F. Butler, MS | Reston, VA

AAPM Newsletter — Volume 43 No. 4 — July | August 2018

Does your facility need help on applying for accreditation? In each issue of this newsletter, I'll present frequently asked questions (FAQs) of particular importance for medical physicists. You may also check out the ACR's accreditation web site portal for more FAQs, accreditation application information and QC forms.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the ACR to accredit digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) units. The following FAQs address the ACR's requirements for DBT accreditation. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Q. I am applying for accreditation for my FFDM unit that also has the capability to perform DBT. May I submit the same set of clinical images for the FFDM unit and the DBT unit?
A. Yes. The ACR recommends that you send different patients. However, you may submit the same fatty examination for both the FFDM and DBT testing, and the same dense examination for both the FFDM and DBT testing. [Note, this is an update from earlier instructions.]

ACR Accreditation Clinical Testing for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT)
Scenario 1. DBT - 2D Synthesized Images Available (whether or not 2D-Syn is used for interpretation)
Testing to be Submitted by Facility
Type 2D FFDM Accreditation DBT Accreditation
Clinical Testing
(a clinical set = cc and mlo of 1 fatty and 1 dense case)
Whatever is primarily used clinically:
2D clinical set (cc and mlo), or
2D-Syn clinical set (cc and mlo), or
2D cc and 2D-Syn mlo clinical set, or
2D-Syn cc and 2D mlo clinical set
2D-Syn clinical set (cc and mlo), or
2D cc and 2D-Syn mlo clinical set, or
2D-Syn cc and 2D mlo clinical set
Scenario 2. DBT - 2D Synthesized Images Not Available on System
Testing to be Submitted by Facility
Type 2D FFDM Accreditation DBT Accreditation
Clinical Testing
(a clinical set = cc and mlo of 1 fatty and 1 dense case)
2D clinical set 2D clinical set

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Comments (1)

Dr. McCollough

07-05-2018 21:46 PM

Thanks Penny for your many years of exceptional service to the medical physics community. Enjoy your much deserved retirement!

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