Improving Patient Care & Experience Through Onsite MRI-[Executive Summary] Improving Patient Care & Experience Through Onsite MRI

[Executive Summary] Improving Patient Care & Experience Through Onsite MRI

Pdf Summary

Samantha Towler, Ancillary Patient Services Manager at TOA, outlines strategies to improve patient care and experience through onsite MRI/CT services. Having onsite imaging enhances patient convenience by reducing travel and speeds up imaging and surgery planning, which boosts satisfaction for both patients and providers.<br /><br />To optimize workflows, Towler recommends using third-party vendors for MRI/CT authorizations and having a pre-certification team verify benefits and contact patients directly. Regular process evaluations ensure ongoing improvements. Combining pre-certification and scheduling roles enables faster patient scheduling, reducing delays from 7-10 days to same-week imaging.<br /><br />Effective staffing involves cross-training front desk, schedulers, and pre-certification teams to maintain consistent coverage with staggered shifts. Assigning two MRI technologists per magnet maximizes capacity.<br /><br />Patient access increases by allowing walk-in or same-day MRI appointments when feasible and using stat blocks for urgent cases like surgery or complications. Only complex cases, such as patients with pacemakers, are referred to external facilities.<br /><br />Key implementation tips include embracing automation to reduce delays and improve accuracy, maintaining full schedules with attention to seasonal fluctuations, and building strong partnerships with dedicated musculoskeletal radiologists to support high-quality care. These measures collectively enhance operational efficiency, patient satisfaction, and overall practice success.

Keywords

Onsite MRI

CT services

Patient care improvement

Workflow optimization

Pre-certification team

Third-party vendor

Cross-training staff

Same-day appointments

Automation in scheduling

Musculoskeletal radiologists