Ingalls Earns Perfect Score In Breast Center Accreditation Process

(March, 2010) Ingalls Memorial Hospital’s Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center is pleased to announce it recently earned a perfect score and a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

“Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance,” explained Kurt Johnson, Ingalls president and chief executive officer.

Currently, Ingalls is one of only five accredited breast centers in Illinois, and the only accredited center in the south suburbs.

The NAPBC is dedicated to improving the quality of care for patients with breast cancer and other diseases of the breast. It defines 27 breast program standards and 17 care components – from medical oncology consultation/treatment and surgical care to research, a survivorship program and more – that collectively provide the most coordinated, comprehensive care for patients diagnosed with diseases of the breast.
The NAPBC application and on-site survey process is rigorous, and NAPBC-accredited centers like Ingalls’ Richard K. Desser Breast Center must be recertified every three years.

“The Desser Center offers the most complete breast care in Chicago’s south suburbs,” Johnson added. “A team of caring medical professionals – including two specially trained breast health nurse navigators – provide comprehensive, individualized care for women at any stage of breast health in one convenient location. When needed, patients can also receive the professional opinion of a surgeon, radiologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and a plastic surgeon.”

The Desser Center features sophisticated diagnostic equipment that has passed stringent guidelines for expertise, accuracy and reliability by the Food and Drug Administration and the American College of Radiology.

Diagnostic tests available at the Desser Center include stereotactic breast biopsy, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and PET/CT scanning.

Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited breast center like the Ingalls Desser Center ensures that a patient has access to a full range of state-of-the-art breast health services; a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the most appropriate treatment options; and information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.

“Most importantly, it means patients have every significant advantage in the battle against breast disease…close to home,” Johnson added.

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