OGDENSBURG -- Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and Alliance Imaging have had their positron emission tomography (PET) accreditation renewed for three years following a review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

A PET scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by the patient, to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, and certain other abnormalities within the body.

The ACR “gold seal” of accreditation is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR practice guidelines and technical standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for improvement.

For more information about the diagnostic imaging services available at Claxton-Hepburn, visit www.claxtonhepburn.org or call (888) 908-2462.