What is the Value of Proper and Efficient Imaging?
Diagnostic imaging isn’t perfect 100 percent of the time, but the value of imaging is that it can provide physicians with more information about what is going on inside a patient’s body through non-invasive means. There are many conditions and injuries that elicit similar symptoms and pain, so gathering more information greatly aids doctors in accurately diagnosing a patient and is certainly a benefit. In cases where a physician is contemplating surgery, imaging can either confirm or rule out the need.
Can I Get an MRI Anywhere?
MRI of a shoulder.
It is important to understand; Florida is not a Certificate of Need (C.O.N.) state when it comes to outpatient diagnostic testing facilities. This means just about anyone can open a diagnostic center.
While the cost of high-quality equipment has decreased in recent years, the low-quality equipment is even less expensive.
Of course, businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs to maximize profits and utilizing the less expensive equipment may seem like a viable way to cut costs to a person trained in business rather than treating patients.
Patients are knowledgeable enough to ask questions, but unfortunately many think that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from one company’s machine is equivalent to the MRI produced from another. This is not always the case. Diagnostic equipment may look the same, but the internal components and the images they produce can be very different.
Ron Esteban, Director of Ancillary Services at Orlando Orthopaedic Center, shares an analogy to help others understand the importance of high-quality imaging. He asks, “Would you rather watch the Super Bowl on television with rabbit ears or on a high-definition television?” Just as the high-definition television provides a significantly clearer picture, so does the MRI from high-quality equipment.
Unfortunately, there are many diagnostic imaging centers that utilize poor equipment and the images their equipment produces sometimes necessitate the need for repeat studies. These repeat studies aren’t always covered by a patient’s insurance.
Are Diagnostic Centers Accredited?
The good news is The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have mandated an accreditation policy effective in 2012, meaning any diagnostic center performing studies on Medicare patients must be accredited by one of three approved accrediting organizations (AO). While this may seem like a good idea, there are still problems with the accrediting process. The policy will probably not eliminate all of the poor or sub-standard equipment, but it is a start.
Even better, patients referred to Orlando Orthopaedic Center already have access to superior technology in diagnostics, the 1.5 Tesla Closed Short Bore MRI. The center is accredited by the American College of Radiology, the gold standard and most difficult AO to gain accreditation from. Doctors referring their patients to the center can be confident they will receive proper and efficient diagnoses. Patients can access the center’s two advanced MRI magnets at their choice of two convenient locations.
Also, Orlando Orthopaedic Center is leading the way with imaging techniques. For example, the center uses advanced imaging to diagnose labrum tears and pathologies in shoulders and hips. These are cases in which typical imaging is not adequate.
Bryan L. Reuss, M.D.
Bryan L. Reuss, M.D., a physician at Orlando Orthopaedic Center specializing in sports medicine related surgery says, “A typical non-contrast MRI of the shoulder has only a 50 percent chance of diagnosing a superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) tear or lesion, so you may as well flip a coin.” Dr. Reuss was involved in a study that was published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. His team’s research demonstrated that the addition of contrast improved the diagnostic accuracy significantly.
When typical MRIs are not adequate, contrast dye is sometimes injected into a joint. This enhances imaging and is referred to as arthrography. Dr. Reuss’s team’s research summarizes the outcome of non-contrast MRI versus MRI arthrogram accuracy for the diagnosis of SLAP lesions. The MRIs with contrast were much easier for radiologists and doctors to read and therefore provided more information for proper diagnosis.
Also, performing a hip MRI to evaluate for a labrum tear is much less accurate than an MR-Arthrogram. Most of the time Dr. Reuss, the only surgeon, performing hip arthroscopy at the center, will gather more information by requesting an MR-Arthrogram despite the fact that a plain MRI has already been done. Patients are sometimes frustrated by this, but it is necessary when making a decision for surgery.
With the increased information provided by arthrograms, physicians can offer the most effective and minimally invasive treatments available for each of their patient’s situations. There is a variety of minimally invasive hip, shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle surgeries currently available to patients with a correct diagnosis.
Referring physicians can expect to receive the highest quality imaging from Orlando Orthopaedic Center along with a proper and efficient diagnosis of referred patients. The center is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and its doctors take extra measures such as requesting arthrograms to gather as much information as possible in a non-invasive manner. This ensures referred patients receive the treatment they need as quickly and efficiently as possible. The need for repeat testing is avoided saving patients and insurance companies time, hassle and money.
