American College of Radiology Gives Stamp of Approval
Saint Margaret Mercy is the ONLY hospital in the Chicagoland area
and in Northwest Indiana to receive ACR accreditation

For Immediate Release
October 31, 2000
Contact: Maria E. Ramos
(219) 865-2141, ext. 45321
Maria.Ramos@ssfhs.org

Hammond, Ind - - The Radiation Oncology Center at Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers received accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR) following a recent survey. Physician and physicist members of the accredited Oncology Center are board-certified radiation oncologists Drs. Urmi P. Kalokhe and Anita T.C. Lee, and medical physicist Dr. Renate Muller-Runkel.

The ACR Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation Committee granted a full three-year accreditation to Saint Margaret Mercy’s Oncology Center in Hammond, Ind. Saint Margaret Mercy is the only hospital in the Chicagoland area and in Northwest Indiana to receive accreditation by the ACR.

The college awards accreditation to a radiation oncology group for the achievement of high practice standards after a voluntary survey. Dr. Kalokhe and the hospital administration jointly agreed to invite the ACR for the survey, to benchmark the quality of services the Radiation Oncology department provides.

“The ACR survey is significantly more rigorous as compared to surveys conducted by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO),” Dr. Kalokhe said. “Due to a network agreement, JCAHO now accepts accreditation decisions of the ACR Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation program for facilities that are part of a health plan or other managed care organization.”

Radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are members of the ACR conduct the survey. The surveyors assess the quality of work performed by physicians and medical physicists, as well as staff efficiency, quality assessment and improvement activities including peer review, and the adequacy of space and equipment. Findings are reported to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the radiation oncology group with a comprehensive report.

ACR is a national organization serving more than 30,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists and medical physicists. Programs focus on the practice of radiation oncology and radiology, and defining standards to promote the delivery of quality radiologic health services.