The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is warning that patients who had mammograms taken at Hoffman MRI between October 2019 and March 2021 should get second opinions.
Patients are being asked to consult with their physicians after the American College of Radiology (ACR) cited poor quality image practices at Hoffman MRI. The ACR states that practices at the facility, also known as Hoffman Imaging and Medical Center, pose "serious risk to human health," according to a release issued by the IEMA.
The MRI center has been in hot water since August 2020, when the IEMA issued an emergency order for the facility to stop operating until it received accreditation from the ACR and certification from Illinois. At the IEMA's request, the ACR conducted a mammography review of clinical images that were taken between October 17, 2019, and July 31, 2020. More than half of the 30 cases did not meet ACR imaging criteria.
Despite the emergency order, the MRI facility continued to provide mammograms while operating under new ownership and a new name. In February 2021, the IEMA conducted an inspection of the facility and was unable to validate owner claims that the facility was complying with the emergency order. During another inspection in March 2021, the agency confirmed approximately 100 patients were imaged between December 2020 and March 2021, according to the release.
In April 2021, a second emergency order was issued, ordering the facility to cease operations until they received accreditation and certification. They cannot perform any mammograms until further notice, and they are required to contact any patients who breast imaging during the period of concern, according to the IEMA.
