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Access doubles as VA Augusta mammography program passes all tests

Advanced Diagnostic Radiologic Technologists Marsha Deckard and Penelope Walden and Kutistia Ragland, Certified Breast Imaging Navigator
Pictured: Advanced Diagnostic Radiologic Technologists Marsha Deckard and Penelope Walden and Kutistia Ragland, Certified Breast Imaging Navigator and Mammography team lead.

VA Augusta Health Care System’s mammography program is now fully accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

“This accreditation is awarded to only those facilities who have proven high-quality performance and have met mandated practice standards,” said Kutistia Ragland, Certified Breast Imaging Navigator and Mammography Team Lead. “Our staff, our program, and our systems have been put to the test and found worthy!”

With this added access, Georgia and South Carolina Veterans can be screened at double the rate.

“The wait times are much shorter with most Veterans being screened within two to five days,” said Ragland. “To the American College of Radiology, we are deemed consistent in our image quality, education, and credentialing of our staff and continuity patient care.”

To be accredited, the governing body checks the safety of the machines by testing appropriate radiation levels, image quality, and consistency for accurate diagnostics.

“The biggest thing we do is early detection, early detection, early detection,” Ragland said. “The ACR Accreditation is recognized throughout the medical community as the gold standard in medical imaging and now, this honor and distinction have been bestowed upon our medical facility.”

The Uptown campus located at 1 Freedom Way in Augusta now has two fully accredited in-house mammography suites. Talk to your primary care doctor about getting screened.

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