TVHS earns consecutive accreditation for stellar mammography services
For the third consecutive year, the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) Women’s Health mammography team passed its annual Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mammography inspection and accreditation.
“The inspector said all quality control features were in compliance with no recommendations for improvements,” Deanna Cunningham, TVHS diagnostic mammographer said. “That’s as good as you can get. All of the mammographers and staff are thrilled to have had a fully successful inspection for the third year.”
Any facility that offers mammography services must be accredited, certified, and inspected by the FDA to legally provide mammography services in the United States per the Mammography Quality Standards Act, which was signed into law in 1994. The law ensures mammogram services are safe, high-quality, and effective when it comes to breast cancer detection in men and women.
The sooner breast cancer cells are identified the better. Early detection helps identify effective treatment plans and can lead to an increased chance of survival.
During the inspection, the FDA checks the mammogram machines are operating correctly, that all patient records are properly labeled and filed, and all mammogram data is communicated timely with patients.
“They check all of our records for the year,” Cunningham said. “They’re looking at when we notify patients of mammogram results, how our personnel records are stored, image quality of the mammogram and other medical records and documents.”
Cunningham explained breast cancer screening is a very sensitive and detail-oriented modality.
The inspection can be tedious because of the amount of paperwork and technical review involved, but the TVHS mammographers are no stranger to the process.
The preparation is a joint effort between the medical imaging team who performs the mammogram services and the TVHS Women's Health team. Cunningham said the team constantly reviews records and credentials throughout the year to stay up-to-date and within compliance. Being thorough and meticulous with the information is crucial.
“This may seem like a typical routine thing to non-health care personnel, but to us it’s a huge deal,” Elizabeth Heath, TVHS acting women Veterans program manager said. “Veterans using mammography services here will receive the best comprehensive breast imaging tailored to their specific needs. We are very proud.”
TVHS Deputy Executive Director Michael Renfrow stated women Veterans strongly trust TVHS with their health care needs. Based on VA's Veteran Trust Scores - a survey sent to patients after their health care visit - TVHS is rated the No. 1 VA hospital for women's health care in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
"As a whole, women Veterans have a lower trust in VA by eight to 10% when compared to male patients," Renfrow said. "For TVHS, we're rated No. 1 in the nation, and women Veterans trust us 96% of the time. We still have a lot of work to do to bridge the gap between women and men's trust in VA."
TVHS is one of two VA medical centers within the central southeastern area to offer in-house mammography, and the only VA in the area to offer diagnostic imaging services. Veterans can expect 3D mammograms, breast ultrasounds, biopsies, and breast magnetic resonance imaging.
"The medical personnel in the imaging department are very professional and understanding," Cynthia Cox, TVHS Veteran wrote in a Veteran Trust Score survey. "I always have a good experience with the mammogram tech team as well as ultrasound and echo cardiogram professionals. I appreciate their dedication and hard work."
“We are constantly striving to improve and provide great quality imaging and our inspection is a reflection of our hard work,” Cunningham said. “The mammographers and radiologists take pride in providing top-notch patient care to all of our Veterans who deserve the best.”