Virtual Radiologic Corporation (vRad), the radiology physician services and telemedicine company acquired by MEDNAX earlier this year, announced this week that its breast imaging specialists are now officially FDA-certified and accredited to read and interpret digital breast tomosynthesis images.

This service is scheduled to be available to all clients in early 2016, once a client pilot program has been completed.

Carol Evans, director of radiology at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas, has worked closely with vRad during the pilot program.

“Early detection is the best defense we have today against breast cancer, and tomosynthesis makes certain abnormalities easier to see and classify with greater accuracy,” Evans said in a statement. “Having on-demand access to a vRad team of 3D-certified mammographers benefits our patients and our practice.”

“3D mammography is the best advancement I have seen in breast imaging in over 20 years of focusing on women’s health,” Arlene Sussman, MD, medical director and the director of vRad’s Breast Imaging Program, said in the same statement. “As a radiologist, I am encouraged by the clinical benefits I see in my daily interpretations. Details previously hidden are now more visible, allowing physicians to detect more with greater ease. As a woman and a prospective patient, I am also encouraged by how digital tomosynthesis is less stressful and more women-friendly as a screening procedure. That’s why my future mammograms will only be done using digital tomosynthesis.”