A system for use in testing ultrasound systems that includes a tissue mimicking phantom and computer-readable instructions that are configured to automatically compare images of the phantom obtained by the ultrasound system to one or more reference images (e.g., indicating how the obtained images should appear) and provide output that assists personnel in assessing the operationality of the ultrasound system. Any appropriate digital recording device may be used to digitally store signals received from outputs of the ultrasound system for use by the image comparison module on a real-time basis or after full acquisition of the phantom images.