CHOC Hospital has been designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence® (DICOE) by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
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.
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®.
CHOC offers a full range of specialized pediatric imaging services, including ultrasound, X-ray, fluoroscopy, MRI and CT scans.
Recognizing that children don’t need adult levels of radiation, radiation doses on CHOC equipment can be up to 50 percent lower than at community hospitals or independent imaging centers.
CHOC uses only board-certified pediatric radiologists and specially trained pediatric radiology technologists, nurses and child life specialists. Additionally, all radiology staff undergo age-specific training annually to learn how to work and communicate with children of varying ages.
Further, CHOC is only one of a small number of medical centers in the country to have child life specialists working in a dedicated pediatric radiology and imaging department.
The ACR, founded in 1924, 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 38,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.
Learn more about radiology and imaging at CHOC and how to refer a patient.
