Mercy Health – Cincinnati, which provides advanced, quality, compassionate care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that the American College of Radiology (ACR) has designated Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital a Lung Cancer Screening Center. It joins The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health and Mercy Health – West Hospital in earning the accreditation.

The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that have committed to practice safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer.

In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must have ACR accreditation in computed tomography in the chest module, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its lung cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. The ACR also requires that accredited centers have procedures in place for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography scans and appropriate follow-up care significantly reduces lung cancer deaths. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year smoking history (people who smoked a packet of cigarettes each day for 30 years) and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer – taking the lives of more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

Clermont Hospital participates in Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s lung cancer screening and pulmonary program with locations throughout Cincinnati, including Mercy Health – Anderson, Fairfield and West Hospitals and The Jewish Hospital.

Since starting the program in 2014, Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s imaging specialists have screened more than 700 patients, finding 13 cancers and initiating follow-ups with many patients whose screenings revealed abnormalities that may develop into cancer.

If you are interested in a lung cancer screening, Mercy Health recommends that you first have a discussion with your physician to determine if a screening is appropriate for you. If you don’t have a Primary Care Physician, please call Mercy Health at 513-981-2222 for help in finding one.

Ask your physician to call Mercy Health at 95-MERCY (513-956-3729) to schedule a lung screening low-dose CT scan. The scan generally takes about 30 minutes. After your scan, Mercy Health will notify you and the ordering physician of the results.

A Mercy Health Nurse Navigator is available to assist you and your physician with follow-up appointments and education. The Nurse Navigator will work in conjunction with the ordering physician. If appropriate, the navigator can provide you with information about Mercy Health’s Pulmonary Services.

It is always a good idea to check with your carrier to determine if your insurance will cover the screening and Medicare has indicated that it may cover the cost of scans for heavy smokers that meet the screening criteria as soon as next year. If insurance won’t cover the screening, Mercy Health is committed to keeping costs down and making the process affordable. Your out-of-pocket cost is approximately $99, which includes testing and interpretation by a radiologist. You may be able to pay for this out of your Health Savings or Flexible Spending Account but check with your benefits administrator to be sure.

The ACR, founded in 1924, is one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States. The ACR devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.

For more information about the Lung Cancer Screening Center designation, visit: acr.org/Quality-Safety/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Center.