Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center Earns ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center Designation
Newswise — Red Bank, NJ – September 25, 2017 – Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center has been designated a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that have committed to practice safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer.
In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography in the chest module, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its lung cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. Also required are procedures in place for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs.
“Until recently, there has been no reliable way to screen for lung cancer,” says Nicholas Perosi, M.D., medical director of diagnostic imaging at Riverview Medical Center. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this quick and easy test for individuals at high risk for developing lung cancer. Patients involved in the screening program will be guided through the process and provided long term follow-up and treatment if needed.”
Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography scans, and appropriate follow-up care, significantly reduces lung cancer deaths. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer – taking the lives of more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.
“In the United States, there are approximately 160,000 deaths each year from lung cancer,” says Ziad Hanhan, M.D., FACS, medical director for minimally invasive thoracic surgery at Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Medical Center. “However, early detection can lead to more treatment options, less invasive surgery, and a higher survival rate, which is why this program is so important for our community.”
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 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.
For more information about the Lung Cancer Screening Center designation, visit: acr.org/Quality-Safety/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Center. Please call 732-530-2222 for more information about the Lung Cancer Screening Center at Riverview Medical Center.
About Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center
Riverview Medical Center is a 492-bed not-for-profit community hospital located on the Navesink River in Red Bank, New Jersey. Riverview Medical Center provides health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines including: maternity, surgical services, emergency and critical cancer services. Riverview’s Cancer Care Center offers comprehensive cancer services close to home, while Riverview’s Jane H. Booker Women and Children’s Center combines expertise and convenience to address preventative health, diagnosis, treatment, and support for women of all ages. Riverview Rehabilitation Center is Monmouth County’s only fully-accredited inpatient rehabilitation facility, and Riverview Medical Center is a designated Primary Stroke Center and has also maintained prestigious Magnet designation for Nursing Excellence since 1998. Riverview Medical Center is the only hospital in the region with the groundbreaking CyberKnife® system, offering new hope for patients with inaccessible or inoperable tumors. For more information about Riverview Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian Health, please call 1-800-DOCTORS or visit www.riverviewmedicalcenter.com.
###
RSS