More radiology providers trying coronavirus-only imaging centers to help maintain patient volumes
Hospitals and radiology practices are increasingly dedicating locations solely to the imaging of individuals with COVID-19 symptoms as a means to maintain business in a time of plummeting patient volumes.
Penn State Health is one of the latest to continue this trend, opening a dedicated Radiology Annex at its Hershey Medical Center location. Aimed at x-raying those suspected of having the virus, the center is located in a former storage unit, and is accessible via an outside door.
They’ve made use of plexiglass and walkie-talkies, too, hoping to maintain regular care delivery without triggering stringent cleaning protocols in their regular imaging suites.
“Our process is intended to isolate these patients as much as possible so that we don’t expose non-infected patients to patients with COVID-19,” Timothy Mosher, MD, chair of the department of radiology at Hershey, told Penn State Health News. “The new x-ray facility allows us to safely image a high volume of intermediate-risk patients.”
The Pennsylvania provider reportedly took this idea from proposal to reality in just three days. A radiologic technologist is positioned outside behind a wall of plexiglass in the doorway, with the patient positioned inside for their scan. With challenges communicating through the material, Penn provided low-tech two-way radios. The institution noted that it is not imaging individuals to diagnose COVID, but rather to determine if other ailments may be causing symptoms.
Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging is similarly looking to keep coronavirus patients separate from others to maintain some semblance of normal business. The Las Vegas-based practice announced Thursday, April 16, that it’s dedicating its Henderson, Nevada, location is designated only for patients suspected of having the virus.
SDMI is not diagnosing the disease, but offering CT, MRI and x-ray scans to those who need them. It’s limiting appointments to allow extra time for cleaning and requiring all employees and visitors to wear masks. The company had previously announced that it would not see any patients who presented with a cough at its nine centers.
"Setting policy in this unprecedented time has been a challenge; it's difficult to anticipate our patient's needs, CEO David Steinberg, MD, said in an April 16 statement. “We continue to evolve our approach as the data and needs change. This next step, turning one location into a symptom-friendly center, allows us to meet the needs of all patients."
Florida-based imaging provider Akumin also announced last month that it was dedicating 10 of its centers to COVID-19 patients. And TRA Imaging did the same recently with one of its practices in Lakewood, Washington.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.