Healthcare Insights
Top 10 imaging center corporations by FDA MQSA-accredited facilities
Mammography is among the most commonly performed diagnostic imaging techniques in America, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reporting nearly 40 million procedures performed in 2021.
Many mammograms are performed at imaging centers regulated by the FDA under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), which provides rules on the equipment, personnel and practices employed at those facilities.
According to our data, over 82% of MQSA-accredited imaging centers are owned by corporations.
We’ve compiled a list of the 10 imaging center corporations with the most MQSA-accredited facilities below.
| Rank | Imaging center corporation | Definitive Network ID | MQSA facilities | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SimonMed Imaging | 822597 | 44 | Explore |
| 2 | Lenox Hill Radiology (FKA Doshi Diagnostic Imaging Centers) | 829014 | 43 | Explore |
| 3 | Kaiser Permanente Southern California | 845346 | 42 | Explore |
| 4 | Solis Mammography (FKA Solis Womens Imaging) | 822657 | 38 | Explore |
| 5 | Akumin (FKA Elite Imaging) | 925015 | 37 | Explore |
| 6 | Kaiser Permanente Northern California | 845347 | 34 | Explore |
| 7 | Sutter Health | 4717 | 28 | Explore |
| 8 | Advanced Radiology | 822813 | 26 | Explore |
| 9 | Dignity Health | 4698 | 21 | Explore |
| 10 | Northside Hospital System | 7228 | 19 | Explore |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare ImagingView product. Data is accurate as of May 2022.
Which imaging center corporations have the most MQSA facilities?
SimonMed Imaging tops our list with 44 MQSA-accredited facilities identified in our database. Based in Arizona, SimonMed Imaging is the country’s 6th-largest imaging center corporation by number of member imaging centers and one of its largest physician-owned radiology providers.
Next up is Lenox Hill Radiology with 43 member MQSA facilities. This New York-based corporation is the 8th largest in the country according to our data, with more than 25 locations in New York City alone. At least 193 physicians practice at Lenox Hill Radiology as of 2022.
In third place, Kaiser Permanente Southern California counts 42 MQSA-accredited facilities among its roster. The only nonprofit organization in our top three, Kaiser Permanente Southern California employs over 18,000 people across more than 200 facilities, including 94 imaging centers.
How does the MQSA regulate imaging centers?
The MQSA originated as legislation developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and U.S. Congress in response to the FDA’s 1985 Nationwide Evaluation of X-ray Trends, which found that 36% of mammography facilities failed to meet acceptable imaging standards.
Passed into law in 1992, the MQSA aims to ensure that all people undergoing mammography examinations can expect high-quality images and appropriate treatment from qualified personnel.
While the MQSA requires mammography technologists at accredited facilities to have certain licensure, certification and training hours within specific modalities, the MQSA only certifies the facilities that hire these individuals, not the staff themselves.
MQSA-accredited facilities must demonstrate safety-focused practices, deliver high-quality imagery and provide patients with a plain-language report of their results, as well as the original, unaltered mammogram images. Furthermore, the MQSA offers patients an accountability-focused complaint system and notifies patients who have visited a facility that has failed to meet accreditation standards.
The MQSA is a crucial part of the U.S. medical regulatory system, as it supports earlier breast cancer detection, thus maximizing patients’ odds for survival.
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