BCH Imaging Department: Offering Excellence and Patient Safety

Boulder Community Health (BCH) works to offer patients high-quality imaging services with maximum safety. All BCH Imaging Departments are certified as Diagnostic Imaging Centers of Excellence, a distinction held by only one other health care system in the state. All BCH radiologists are certified by the American Board of Radiology and the department includes experts in all diagnostic and treatment specialty areas.

Along with highly credentialed staff, BCH imaging departments implement practices to optimize safety and the patient experience. Here are some of the important ways the Imaging Department prioritizes the safety of patients:

• A “critical finding” reporting system alerts a patient’s physician of any results that require immediate action. This alert goes out immediately and repeats every 15 minutes for an hour. After that, it alerts file room staff who then make phone calls to other members of the patient’s health care team. In critical situations, our radiologists will immediately call the physician who ordered the scan.
• BCH employs a full-time onsite physicist who works with technologists and radiologists to ensure that optimal image quality is provided at the lowest possible radiation dose for every BCH patient. He is available to speak with concerned patients to help them understand how they are kept safe during their specific procedure. He also ensures BCH is meeting all regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• BCH uses a dose-tracking system to ensure our patients receive the lowest possible radiation dose while maintaining the highest image quality. This is in line with the principles of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), Image Gently and Image Wisely (organizations that have been established for helping patients and providers increase awareness of radiation safety). The system collects dose information for every study performed to allow analysis and optimization, helping BCH ensure that every procedure meets the ALARA principle.
• BCH's imaging systems are accredited by the American College of Radiology and BCH meets national safety guidelines for both children and adults.

Along with these specific imaging practices, patients can also feel confident knowing that all BCH departments and facilities adhere to established safety protocols for COVID-19. This includes requiring all patients and staff to wear a mask, and safer check-in and screening processes for anyone who visits BCH. Read more about BCH’s COVID-19 response.