Radiology Department at Beaver Medical Group has converted all of the imaging equipment from film to digital and expanded to add new ultrasound and mammogram equipment in Redlands.
Beaver Medical said that now all of the equipment produces digital images that the Radiology Technologists view on screen to make sure they are high quality before releasing the patient.
Immediately afterwards, the radiologists are able to review images taken at any Beaver location. Images can also be shared between Redlands Community Hospital and Beaver Medical Group to improve patient care.
In addition, radiologists can manipulate the images using editing tools that can lighten, darken and magnify areas so they can see everything clearly. Each Radiologist has three large computer screens allowing them to pull up multiple images at the same time. Previous images are also scanned in so the Radiologist can compare new images with previous ones, which is important for regular procedures such as mammograms.
Digital mammograms provide a much higher resolution image of the breast tissue. The Redlands Department added two more mammogram units, to reduce wait times for screenings. Now patients can get an appointment within a few days, or even sooner, said Beaver Medical.
Rhonda Hoag, a radiologist at Beaver Medical Group, said: “Digital radiography provides better clarity of the images and we’re able to process the patients faster. We are also using Computer Aided Detection. CAD software highlights areas that are suspicious in mammograms, which helps draw our eyes to an area to make sure we see everything.”