The first release of results compiled by the American College of Radiology Dose Index Registry has placed Imaging Healthcare Specialists at the forefront in achieving significant reductions in radiation dose in CT imaging. Imaging Healthcare Specialists emerged as a leader when compared to other outpatient imaging centers nationally, and among imaging centers (outpatient and hospital based) both in the western region and in metropolitan areas nationally.

In addition, Imaging Healthcare Specialists has reaffirmed its leadership role in San Diego by becoming the first freestanding imaging company in the nation to acquire the SafeCTTM advanced dose reduction technology (MedicVision Image Reconstruction) for CT imaging.

According to John O. Johnson, M.D., Chief of CT Imaging at Imaging Healthcare Specialists, SafeCTTM offers numerous benefits to Imaging Healthcare’s patients. “The incorporation of SafeCTTM into our CT scanners enhances our low dose initiatives that have reduced radiation exposure by as much as 90% in select patients. We are proud to be a leader in incorporating smart imaging protocols to emphasize patient safety while maintaining imaging quality for our referring physicians.”

Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, and related medical technologies, are towering milestones that have revolutionized the medical profession. Approximately 67 million CT scans are performed each year in the United States. This means that about one in five adults receive a CT scan annually. The scans, which are a specialized form of X-RAY, resulting in cross-sectional computerized images and occasionally 3-Dimensional images of a person’s head or body, can prove life saving. They have eliminated millions of exploratory surgeries and have allowed physicians to make critical diagnoses while excluding others that showed no merit. The medical profession could not function without them.

Jon M. Robins, M.D., CEO of Imaging Healthcare Specialists, emphasized that the organization has a long-standing tradition of being an early adopter of technology.
“To assure all of our imaging protocols achieve the highest standard of patient safety,” he said, “we closely examined all of our methodology to maximize image quality while reducing dose. This has become a national goal for all imaging centers, but Imaging Healthcare Specialists did it earlier and in a way that resulted in significantly reducing dose without compromising our scan quality.”

Imaging Healthcare Specialists has set an extremely high standard of image quality and safety for each patient. Through adoption of the Image Wisely and Imaging Gently initiatives, Imaging Healthcare Specialists is committed to avoiding the use of unnecessary ionizing radiation and to using the lowest optimal radiation dose for necessary studies. Radiation dose is appropriately lowered to correlate to each patient’s body mass.

Dr. Robins added, “We take special care to educate and counsel patients and their referring physicians who request additional information regarding radiation risk. We provide individualized monitoring and surveillance of patients’ dosage through review for appropriateness and frequency of multiple exams.

“Our goal at Imaging Healthcare Specialists,” he said, “is to assure our patients and the medical professionals with whom we work, that we deliver the safest, smartest, and most accountable imaging possible.”

Imaging Healthcare Specialists has 11 offices throughout San Diego and south Riverside Counties, including Temecula, Oceanside, Encinitas, Poway, La Jolla, Chula Vista and San Diego.

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