Most of the healthcare provided by physicians involves some method of imaging. In the past, technicians have performed diagnostic services in the imaging departments of hospitals. Today, imaging services are brought to the patient with the help of mobile imaging.

 

Since there is such a high demand for x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI, CT scans, and EKGs, in-house hospital departments tend to be overwhelmed, and patients can have long wait times in crowded waiting rooms. Even getting an appointment for the imaging service can take a long time which delays treatment for the patient’s care.

 

With the emergence of mobile imaging, patients have more accessible, more efficient access to imaging services. With faster access to the patient, healthcare professionals can diagnose their patients more quickly and begin necessary treatments.

Senior Population and Imaging

The best example of the benefits of mobile imaging is with the senior population–many of whom reside in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Persons over the age of 65 are a fragile population who need imaging services frequently.

The older age group has an increased fall rate, a higher rate of pneumonia and cancers, and compromised immune systems.  They need prompt diagnoses, but transportation to receive medical care is complicated.

The benefits are vast when mobile imaging can accommodate this population’s needs:

• Overall, costs are reduced for the service because the facility doesn’t need to transport the patient to a hospital imaging department.
• Understaffed facilities don’t need to assign an employee to accompany the patient for diagnostic imaging in a hospital.
• There are fewer transfers between facility and hospital.
• Mobile imaging services reduce anxiety in the elderly because transporting and waiting for imaging services accentuates fear in the undiagnosed.
• There is a reduced need for hospitalizations and outpatient treatments of the patients because the assisted living facilities and nursing homes can provide prescribed care.
• Mobile imaging can provide needed diagnostic information to the patient’s attending physician faster than an imaging department can, which expedites a treatment plan for the patient.
• The patient can remain in familiar surroundings (and with people they know) while receiving diagnostic imaging services. This benefit is significant when the patient has difficulty understanding or processing information.

When people of any age are hurting, fearful, anxious, or lack understanding, their comfort is the most crucial factor in beneficial treatments. Mobile imaging comes to the patient and provides fast, efficient, accessible, and cost-effective diagnostics for the most fragile patients.

 Working with a Teleradiology Company

With Vesta Teleradiology, we work with mobile imaging centers and any health facility that provides this technology to their patients. We work with your workflow and integrate to your technology so sending and receiving scans is a breeze. Learn more about how we can help you now: call us at 1-877-55-VESTA.

As radiography technology has evolved, so has the experience of the typical resident in a nursing home or assisted living facility. X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasounds are commonly needed to help diagnose residents of these communities with an appropriate treatment plan. The availability of mobile imaging improves patient care and quality of life in a multitude of ways.

1. Improved Access

With the immediate availability of mobile imaging onsite, more patients can access this type of diagnostic care. In a study conducted by BMC Health Services, researchers found that without mobile access, the use of diagnostic imaging for nursing home patients decreased by almost a third, from 14,500 to only 10,305. This data suggests that the ease of access to mobile radiography ensures that more patients receive the diagnostic care they need.

2. Fewer Transfers

Many risks are associated with transferring the elderly, especially those with mobility issues. By keeping radiology onsite, fewer transfers to hospitals and other centers will need to occur. A study in Norway found that transfers to a hospital’s radiology department were avoided in 71 percent of cases. This dramatic difference makes patient care simpler and more streamlined, and more importantly, it affords fewer opportunities for the elderly to sustain injuries, thereby increasing patient safety.

3. Reduced Spread of Contagious Diseases

The use of mobile imaging can help reduce the spread of contagious diseases like COVID-19. Rather than transferring patients out to imaging centers and increasing the number of people they come into contact with, a nursing home can have in-house imaging staff. A study out of Italy showed the potential for mobile imaging to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when certain safety protocols were followed.

4. Faster Imaging Results

A study conducted in Norway by BMC Health Services Research looked at the results of mobile imaging and found it to be of the same quality as hospital imaging. This research also concluded mobile radiography leads to a faster diagnosis. Offsite imaging can equate to days or weeks of wait time for interpreting results. If a scan is faulty and a patient needs to return for another scan, this wait time can become detrimentally long. With faster results, doctors can work quickly to begin treatment and improve outcomes. 

5. Better Treatment Plans

By having radiology staff on-site, doctors can better prescribe treatment plans specific to a patient’s needs. The aforementioned study in Norway also found that access to treatments improved with onsite mobile imaging in addition to patients receiving more specialized care.

Teleradiology Company that Fits Your Needs

For these reasons and more, it is imperative that nursing homes and assisted living communities work with an experienced teleradiology company to improve the quality of care for residents. Vesta Teleradiology provides nighthawk services with expert and customizable interpretations, thereby improving health outcomes for your entire community. Quality patient care is our top priority as well as giving assisted living facility or nursing home operators flexible and cost-effective, expert service.