NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Earns Prestigious Lung Cancer Screening Center Designation by the American College of Radiology

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Earns Prestigious Lung Cancer Screening Center Designation by the American College of Radiology

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, but early detection through screening can significantly improve survival rates

Adults between the ages of 50 and 80 with a significant smoking history should be screened for lung cancer

Jun 03, 2026

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst today announced that it has been designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR), recognizing the hospital's commitment to providing the highest standards in lung cancer screening, patient safety, and diagnostic excellence. This latest achievement follows Elmhurst's recognition as a GO2 for Lung Cancer Center of Excellence in 2025.

The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is the only national recognition focused specifically on lung cancer screening imaging. Facilities that earn the designation must meet rigorous standards in clinical care, imaging quality, radiation safety, physician expertise, patient follow-up, and quality assurance. To achieve this designation, facilities must maintain ACR CT accreditation, utilize low-dose CT screening protocols designed to minimize radiation exposure, participate in the ACR Lung Cancer Screening Registry, and ensure that examinations are interpreted by highly-qualified physicians with expertise in chest imaging. Facilities are also required to use the Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System to support consistent follow-up care and improved patient outcomes.

"I am enormously proud of this designation and how it highlights the extraordinary level of coordination and collaboration across our health care teams," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Alina Moran. "More importantly, the ACR designation is a tribute to the life-saving work being done every day by our hospital in underserved communities. Many of our patients come from working families facing significant economic challenges and might never receive these critical screenings without the dedicated outreach, education, and support provided by our clinicians."

"The strength of a public hospital is measured by its ability to bring advanced care directly to the community," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Chief Medical Officer Dr. Laura Iavicoli. "This designation reinforces Elmhurst's role as a leader in equitable cancer prevention and early detection."

"Bringing lung cancer screening excellence to Elmhurst Hospital means providers are looking for cancers early as this improves survival and quality of life, allowing patients to go home to their families in many cases cured and continue to make this community one of the most unique places to live in the country," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Division Chief Dr. Alfredo Astua. "I invite everyone to speak to their loved ones and encourage them to be screened for lung cancer by talking to their providers or calling our patient navigator. For screening, there is no preparation, it is fast and easy. We treat everyone, no exceptions."

"We are bringing early lung cancer detection to the heart of Queens, because where you live should never decide when the cancer is found," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Chief of Interventional Pulmonary Medicine Dr. Muhammad Perwaiz.

"As a surgeon who treats patients with lung cancer, I see firsthand how critical early detection can be," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Attending Physician and Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Daniel Laskey. "When lung cancer is identified through screening at an earlier stage, patients often have more treatment options available to them and a significantly greater chance of successful outcomes. This designation recognizes our commitment to providing high-quality screening services and ensuring that patients in our community have access to potentially lifesaving care before symptoms ever appear."

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst's Lung Cancer Screening program focuses on identifying lung cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages through advanced low-dose CT screening technology, patient navigation, and comprehensive follow-up care. Eligible individuals typically include adults between the ages of 50 and 80 with a significant smoking history. Since its creation the program has served nearly 900 patients and performed nearly 1,500 CT scans.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, but early detection through screening can significantly improve survival rates.

For more information about lung cancer screening services at Elmhurst Hospital, please visit NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst or call .

Follow Elmhurst Hospital on Instagram and Facebook at @elmhursthosp.

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Media Contact: Atiya Butler, Director of External Affairs, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, 917 319-5167

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system, is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Receiving Center, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Center of Excellence, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care institution offering exceptional services across a wide range of specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women's health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, renal services, and mental health care. In the past year alone, the hospital received nearly one million ambulatory care visits and over 140,000 emergency room visits, reflecting its essential role in the community. NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst has been nationally ranked and recognized as a "Best Regional Hospital" by U.S. News & World Report in critical areas such as Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Stroke, Hip Fracture, Maternity, Kidney Failure, Orthopedics, Pneumonia, and COPD.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.