Some patients never see them. But they are there—often working in dimly lit rooms, carefully scrutinizing images on the computer screen. They are radiologists, and they play a vital role in patient care at Houston Northwest Medical Center.
Most physicians examine patients, complete medical histories, make a diagnosis, and then treat the patient. Radiologists are different. Typically, they make their diagnoses by obtaining and reading medical images. They also look at other examinations and tests, recommend further testing if necessary, and then confer with physicians who send patients to radiology for testing. Radiologists also may treat some diseases with radiation or perform minimally invasive procedures.
At Houston Northwest Medical Center, a team of 20 radiologists, affiliated with Houston Northwest Radiology Association, perform these vital tasks behind the scenes. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to provide a full range of diagnostic and interventional radiology services. All physicians in the group are board certified in diagnostic radiology by the American Board of Radiology. Their areas of specialty include body imaging, image-guided biopsy, ultrasound, mammography, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine.
Radiologists on the medical staff at Houston Northwest Medical Center. Left to right standing: Anudeep Jain, M.D.; Peter Chiou, M.D.; Jeffrey Zatorski, M.D; David Olifant, M.D.; Robert Scholl, M.D.; Ravi Bikkina, M.D.; Eric Hardee, M.D.; Kee Wee, M.D.; Madan Kulkarni, M.D.; Girish Agrawal, M.D. and Muzammil Shafi, M.D.
Left to right sitting: Hai Nguyen, M.D.; Madelyn Vuong, M.D.; Philip Katz, M.D.; Ralph Norton, M.D.; George Abdo, M.D.; Larry Grissom, M.D.; and Tamara Mitchell, M.D. Not pictured: Rodolfo Lopez M.D. and Jose Spencer M.D.
Fortunately, their job has recently become easier with the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) installed at the hospital. PACS is a filmless method of communicating and storing radiographs. Images can be viewed immediately by the radiologist and referring physician at the hospital, remote office, or home using a web browser.
“We can make our report and fax it back to the referring physician and/or patient nurses’ station much faster because we are getting the images more quickly,” says Ralph Norton, M.D., radiologist with Houston Northwest Radiology association. “The PACS, combined the voice recognition system, has really expedited the report process. Instead of taking hours, results can be available in less than 60 minutes now that they don’t have to be typed manually.”
Image quality is not sacrificed in the PACS. “If anything, images are better on the computer than on film because there are more views and we can manipulate data,” explains Dr. Norton. “Now we can filter out or emphasize data as necessary and accentuate abnormalities for a closer look.”
The hospital is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for magnetic resonance imaging, CT Ultrasound and mammography services. To receive ACR accreditation, equipment and personnel must meet specific qualifications and a high level of image quality is required.
Advances in technology, such as the PACS and voice recognition system, have enhanced both patient care and physician satisfaction at Houston Northwest Medical Center. “The referring physician can call us, and we can look at the patient’s images simultaneously,” adds Dr. Norton. “This collaboration is important when caring for patients with a wide range of medical conditions and traumatic injuries. We are very happy to have this system in place.”