East Ohio Regional Hospital to Get MRI
By KIM NORTHMARTINS FERRY - East Ohio Regional Hospital announced Friday that it plans to install new technology to improve patient services.
During a news conference in the R.H. Wilson Room at the Martins Ferry-based facility, it was announced that EORH will install an on-site Magnetic Resonance Imaging system.
"We have been looking at on-site MRI services for some time, and we are pleased to be able to provide this benefit to our patients," said Brian K. Felici, president and chief executive officer of Ohio Valley Health Services & Education Corp., parent company of EORH and Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling. "This will vastly increase the convenience for the patient requiring an MRI."
Felici said while EORH previously offered portable MRI service that came to the hospital via tractor-trailer a couple times a week, the on-site technology is a big advance for the hospital.
"We're very pleased in that, not only is it the first for any hospital in the local area, it truly is a better service for the patients, as far as comfort goes, and as far as the capabilities of the equipment," he added.
Currently, no hospitals in Ohio and Belmont counties offer fixed MRI services every day, officials said. Mobile MRI is available on a limited basis at all area hospitals, including EORH and OVMC, but with the on-site system at EORH, the service will be available to patients seven days a week, they said.
Wheeling Hospital spokesman Gregg Warren said that facility presently offers MRI services six days a week, using a mobile unit that remains at the hospital. He noted, though, that Wheeling Hospital also plans to offer fixed MRI services later this year. He said the staff there is preparing a certificate of need for the equipment and planning remodeling and some expansion in the emergency room area to accomodate the technology.
"We've always had MRIs available," said Dr. James Patrizi, chief of Radiology at EORH, "but, as all technology evolves, this is some of the latest technology available."
"Twenty-four hours a day," noted Felici. "We are very pleased to be offering this service to in-patients, as well as out-patients."
He was unsure as to how long it would be before the service is available.
"We're looking at a process that includes some construction that will take a couple of months," Felici added, noting that no cost estimate was available.
The EORH system, a Hitachi High-Performance Echelon 1.5T MR Imaging system, features state-of-the-art technology and is more comfortable for the patient than traditional systems have been. The opening is wider, and shorter, making it significantly more patient friendly.
"MRI systems have typically been long and tight, often causing anxiety for the patient," Patrizi said. "This particular model, while offering high performance images, is also more comfortable."
He added that the system is higher strength, which allows for a faster scan and better image quality. The system offers technology that can reduce motion artifacts, helping to eliminate repeat scans and thus shorten exam times.
"The goal is to get good images of the physical area while making the experience as quick and comfortable for the patient as possible," Patrizi continued.
The system provides advanced imaging applications in areas that include orthopedic and neurological components, as well as women's health including breast studies, according to Felici.
"This new system offers our community access to the most advanced diagnostic imaging techniques currently available in the health care industry," Felici said. "There's a strong need for an on-site MRI service in the Belmont County area, and we're providing it."
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Katabatic
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07-12-08 12:15 PM
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Great news for EORH. It's about time......now for that OVMC pet scanner........
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