North Hills Breast Center Receives Accreditation

For the second consecutive term, the North Hills Imaging and Breast Center earned stereotactic breast biopsy accreditation from the American College of Radiation. North Hills is operated by the seven doctors of the Northwest Arkansas Radiology Associates and in affiliation with the Washington Regional Medical Center radiology department.

According to the ACR Web site, the North Hills Breast Center is one of four accredited stereotactic facilities in Arkansas. It is the only one in Northwest Arkansas.

Stereotactic breast biopsies allow doctors to study core samples of suspicious tissue without surgery. Local anesthetic and a stitch-less incision are benefits of the hour-long procedure.

Accreditation through the ACR is voluntary, and application for certification requires extensive paperwork and comprehensive proof of qualification.

Elaine Thompson, the North Hills Breast Center business manager, said the accreditation is valuable for the clinic.

“We voluntarily do that because we want to meet the highest standards,” Thompson said.

The center also announced the pending addition of an eighth doctor for the radiology group. Dr. Michael Penney will join the Fayetteville location in July.