The FYI On Your MRI

Open MRI SystemChances are, you or someone you know has needed an MRI scan at some point. We’ve at least all heard of an MRI and might imagine ourselves getting in to that big white tube! But what exactly are we getting ourselves in to? With the help of Paula Bracken, chief radiologic technologist at Lexington Diagnostic Center & Open MRI, let’s explore what you should know, consider, and expect when you need an MRI.

What is an MRI?
As Paula explains, MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a non-invasive scan that uses a large magnet, pulses of radiofrequency waves, and a computer to create detailed, 2D and 3-D images of organs and structures within your body. Physicians often use MRI imaging to diagnose conditions that may not be adequately assessed using other imaging methods such as X-ray, ultrasound or CT scan.

An MRI is often used to:
Examine the joints, brain, spine, nerves, abdominal organs, breasts, reproductive organs and other soft tissues
Assess blood vessels for clots and areas of narrowing
Detect tumors and diagnose many forms of cancer
Evaluate infections
Assess injuries to bones, joints and muscles
Achieve more detailed images than other imaging modalities

MRIs are often preferred over X-rays and CT scans because they don’t emit potentially harmful radiation. Here’s how it works:
1. The MRI scanner is a very strong magnet that is always turned on.
2. Since the body is made up of mostly water, hydrogen protons in the water are utilized to create an image.
3. An antenna is placed around the area of your body to be scanned.
4. You are moved into the magnetic field of the machine and the hydrogen protons go from spinning randomly to aligning with the magnetic field.
5. Radiofrequency pulses are introduced to move the protons into different positions and the antenna listens to the echoes from the protons as they relax.
6. The information is sent to a computer that creates the image.

Where to have your MRI
Many patients go with the flow and have their scan performed at the hospital, not realizing they have options for comfort, convenience, and cost-savings. Paula says she’s proud to provide superior care and quality at LDC. We offer an MRI for every need, and we take care of our patients at a fair price that they’ll find is much less expensive than at other facilities, says Paula.

An MRI for every need
If even just the thought of that big white tube makes you cringe with claustrophobia, rest assured there’s an option for you. You can even have a loved one stay close by for support. That option is also great for little patients who want a parent close by. Lexington Diagnostic Center utilizes modern equipment and procedures to produce the best images possible while ensuring the patient?s comfort. There are three different MRI machine options to accommodate various patient needs and preferences.

In some cases, sedation may be required or requested for the patient. There is no charge for sedation at LDC. You will need to arrange for a driver to take you home.

What to expect and how to prepare:
Talk to your doctor’s referring coordinator or scheduler when your scan is ordered and they can set up your appointment with Lexington Diagnostic Center. LDC will receive your doctor’s orders and will call you to confirm your appointment. Be sure to let LDC know ahead of time if you’ve had a scan of the same area previously at another location so that images can be compared. Paula shares that LDC takes pride in making sure the entire process is easy and convenient for the patient. She says, We make sure patients have their appointment in a timely manner, without hassle, and are made as comfortable as possible while receiving superior image quality.

MRI procedures are performed on an outpatient basis. Eat, drink and take your medications as usual unless instructed otherwise. If you are scheduled for an abdominal MRI, you might be asked to refrain from eating or drinking for two hours prior to your appointment.

For the scan, you’ll be asked to change into a hospital gown and remove any metal items including:
Jewelry
Hairpins
Eyeglasses
Watches
Wigs
Dentures
Hearing aids

The MRI machine is a large, tube-shaped machine that the patient enters while lying comfortably on an exam table. The machine can get loud, so earplugs and headphones are available. The radiology technologist will be close by, keeping you informed and making sure you?re comfortable. You can stop the exam any time to ask questions or express concerns.

Most MRI scans take about 30 minutes to perform for each study. Afterward, the pictures will be reviewed by the radiologist and a report will be sent to your doctor.

Why choose Lexington Diagnostic Center for your MRI?
They are committed to providing the most convenient high-quality MRI imaging services for patients and their physicians. LDC offers:

Ease of scheduling with typically same-week appointments
Board Certified Musculoskeletal Fellowship Trained Radiologists to interpret your results
Highly trained technologists to ensure your comfort and safety
CD of images for each patient to have and share with their healthcare provider
An integrated electronic medical records system that provides your referring physician easy access to your images
Evening and Saturday appointment times
Front door parking

Making Outstanding Care, Superior Quality Convenient and Affordable

When it’s time for an imaging study CT scan, MRI, ultrasound many patients simply go with the flow? in the belief that there are no choices or that all of the choices are essentially the same.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Lexington Diagnostic Center and Open MRI, located on Harrodsburg Road in Lexington offers patients not only outstanding, personal care but superior quality as well. With full-time board-certified and fellowship-
trained radiologists, experienced, certified technical staff, commitment to the patient and family, and state-of-the-art equipment, Lexington Diagnostic Center is able to deliver a much higher level of care than is available anywhere else.

Diagnostic imaging is all we do, this singular focus allows LDC to schedule patients quickly, conduct tests efficiently, provide outstanding quality and reporting and do it all at a cost significantly less than what patients might pay elsewhere.

Patients are sometimes concerned that imaging studies performed outside a hospital setting won’t be readily available to their physicians, or can’t be compared to previous studies. That is absolutely not a concern. Lexington Diagnostic Center provides an advanced Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) which allows the referring physician to access our radiologists reports and imaging studies from their own computers, or even from the surgery suite at the local hospitals.

Further, every patient who has imaging performed at LDC leaves the center that day with a disk containing all of the images captured during the visit. They can take the images directly to their doctor for review and, of course, the images are always archived here at the center for future reference if needed. Patients also have access to all of their study reports from Lexington Diagnostic through a secure internet connection, the Patient Portal.

As for comparing today’s images to those captured months or even years ago, Lexington Diagnostic Center is able to request those images from other medical facilities for comparison purposes continuity of care without issue. We have a courier who runs between all the medical facilities daily picking up imaging studies and returning them here, to the Center, where our radiologists use them to compare today’s studies with any studies performed previously. It is very important we compare our studies to any prior images that have been done before.

There is no charge to the patient for this service and no hassle either. All they need to do is tell us where they had the images taken and when, and we’ll take care of the rest.

It’s one advantage of having imaging done at LDC that many patients really appreciate, she added. Another benefit is how convenient and easy it is to have testing done at Lexington Diagnostic. With evening and Saturday hours, patients never have to wait weeks to have a test scheduled. And when you arrive at the center for testing, you can feel confident that your test will be performed and you’ll be on your way quickly. There are no long waits caused by numerous emergency cases bumping the schedule. Results are reported to the referring physician quickly, typically in less than 72 business hours.

One of the most important considerations for patients receiving care anywhere is cost. Patients at Lexington Diagnostic Center have peace of mind knowing exactly how much their imaging study will cost, and what their out-of-pocket costs will be. Most patients will save hundreds of dollars by choosing to have their MRIs, CTs and other radiology tests performed at LDC instead of the local hospital.

That’s because hospitals have to cover all of that overhead the cafeteria, laundry, parking garages it’s all rolled up into every patient’s bill. At Lexington Diagnostic Center, imaging is the only thing we do. We keep our overhead costs low and that keeps our prices low, too. And the Radiologist fee is included, so you won’t receive an extra bill from the physician.?

Taking advantage of the Lexington Diagnostic Center difference is quite easy. All you have to do is speak up when your doctor orders an imaging procedure for you. Most patients don’t realize they have the right to decide where they’ll go for a test or procedure. When patients fail to express a preference, the doctor’s office will schedule the procedure where it is most convenient for them usually the hospital.

Sometimes patients feel uncomfortable telling physician they need find a less expensive alternative to the hospital. That’s natural. But your doctor should be just as concerned about your financial health as he or she is about your physical health.

Cost transparency is an important part of the Lexington Diagnostic Center patient care philosophy. It’s important for patients to know not only how much a test will cost, but what they will be responsible for in terms of co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance. LDC works with the patient’s insurer to determine the out-of-pocket costs before testing is performed. Patients are informed up front of the total cost, usually at least 48 hours before their appointment. Payment is collected on the day of their imaging appointment.

This means patients never have to worry about getting a bill they didn’t expect 30 or 60 days later. And, unlike hospitals, Lexington Diagnostic’s bill includes the radiologist’s professional fees. There will ever only be one, all-inclusive bill from us. You’ll never receive a bill in the mail later with a fee you didn’t know about.

LDC accepts most all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. ?We’ve actually had them conference in on the phone with patients to reschedule them from a higher-priced facility to us. We save money for insurance companies and for patients. That’s why it’s so important to shop for healthcare costs. Always call and compare prices.

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