Precise Imaging Launches Innovative ‘Call Timing’ and ‘Call Me’ Feature for Enhanced Customer Convenience
Agoura Hills, CA – 01/30/2024 – Precise Imaging, a leader in diagnostic imaging services, is proud to announce the launch of a revolutionary new feature on its website: "When to Call" & "Call Me". This innovative service is designed to significantly enhance the convenience for patients, referring physicians, and attorneys who use Precise Imaging's services.
The new "When to Call" feature on the Precise Imaging website addresses a common challenge in healthcare communication: finding the best time to call for information or assistance. Recognizing this issue, Precise Imaging has developed a dual-component solution to streamline communication and improve user experience.
You can use the released feature by visiting this link: https://www.precisemri.com/when-to-call
Key Features of "When to Call":
- Best Time to Call Indicator: This aspect of the service informs users of the most optimal times to call Precise Imaging, reducing wait times and ensuring more efficient communication. By guiding users to contact at less busy hours, the feature promises a more seamless and satisfying interaction with Precise Imaging’s dedicated customer service team.
- Call Me Option: Understanding that time is precious, Precise Imaging offers a 'Call Me' option. With this, users can simply request a call back from the service team. This means they no longer need to spend time waiting on the line. Instead, Precise Imaging will call them back as soon as they are first in line, ensuring no unnecessary waiting and a more personalized service experience.
A Commitment to Customer Satisfaction:
"At Precise Imaging, we are constantly seeking ways to enhance our service and ensure our clients have the best possible experience," said Danny Rackow, IT Director, of Precise Imaging. "The 'Call Me' feature is a testament to our commitment to customer convenience and satisfaction. We understand the value of our clients' time and are dedicated to making our services as accessible and user-friendly as possible."
This latest feature is part of Precise Imaging's ongoing effort to leverage technology for improved customer service in the healthcare sector. With a focus on innovation and client satisfaction, Precise Imaging continues to set the standard for excellence in diagnostic imaging services.
About Precise Imaging:
Precise Imaging is a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services, with a network of facilities across the United States. Known for its state-of-the-art equipment, highly trained staff, and commitment to quality patient care, Precise Imaging is at the forefront of the medical imaging industry.
Exciting News: Introducing Our New Patient Portal from RadFlow 360!
We are thrilled to announce the latest enhancement to our patient care services – the introduction of a new Patient Portal, powered by RadFlow 360. At Precise Imaging, we continually strive to improve our patient experience, and this new feature is a giant leap forward in that direction.
Why a Patient Portal?
In today's fast-paced world, we understand the importance of convenience and efficiency, especially when it comes to your health. The new Patient Portal from RadFlow 360 is designed to put the control back in your hands, allowing you to manage your appointments, view your images, and communicate with our team at the click of a button.
Key Benefits of the Patient Portal:
1. Complete Forms Ahead of Time:
Say goodbye to the hassle of filling out paperwork in the waiting room! With our Patient Portal, you can complete all necessary forms from the comfort of your home before your appointment.
2. Access Appointment Details:
Stay in the know with access to your appointment times, location, and easy-to-follow directions right from the portal.
3. View Your Images:
Your MRI, X-ray, and CT images are available for you to view on the portal as soon as they are ready.
4. Share Your Images:
Need a second opinion or share with a family member? You can easily share your images with other medical professionals or loved ones directly from the portal.
5. Upload Your Photo ID:
Ensure a smooth check-in process by uploading your Photo ID ahead of time.
6. Text Message with Our Scheduling Team:
Have a question about your appointment? Want to reschedule? Communicate with our scheduling team directly through text messages via the Patient Portal.
How to Get Started:
Getting started is easy! Simply visit www.precise.radflow360.com/patient-portal to access your account.
At Precise Imaging, we are committed to providing top-notch radiology services with a focus on patient convenience and care. The introduction of the Patient Portal from RadFlow 360 is a testament to this commitment. We are confident that this new feature will enhance your experience with us and we are excited for you to try it out.
For any questions or assistance with the Patient Portal, please do not hesitate to contact our support team.
Warm regards,
The Precise Imaging Team
Precise Imaging Expands with a New Radiology Center in Fresno, CA
The new center on West Shaw Lane features an Open MRI and X-Ray services, providing the community with enhanced diagnostic capabilities.
FRESNO, CA – Precise Imaging, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services, is thrilled to announce the opening of its new radiology imaging center located at 2540 W. Shaw Lane, Suite 112-A, Fresno, CA 93711. The latest addition to the Precise Imaging network is now ready to serve the Fresno community and the surrounding areas, offering an Open MRI and X-Ray services.
With a continuous commitment to providing high-quality, accessible imaging services, Precise Imaging has invested in cutting-edge technology at its new Fresno center to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses. The Open MRI service aims to deliver a comfortable and less claustrophobic experience for patients, while the advanced X-Ray services ensure precise imaging for a variety of medical needs.
The Fresno location not only expands Precise Imaging’s geographical footprint but also reinforces its mission to offer patient-centric, technologically advanced imaging services to a broader spectrum of patients. This expansion underscores Precise Imaging's dedication to community healthcare and its endeavor to be at the forefront of diagnostic imaging services.
"We are elated to extend our services to the Fresno community," said Mike Rashidi, VP of Precise Imaging. "Our new center is equipped with an Open MRI and XRAY services to ensure precise and quick results. With a team of experienced radiologists and technologists, we are here to provide compassionate care and superior imaging services to all our patients."
The center is open M-F 8am-7pm and adheres to rigorous safety and sanitation protocols to ensure a safe environment for both patients and staff.
For more information about Precise Imaging and the new Fresno radiology imaging center, or to schedule an appointment, individuals can or call 800-558-2223
About Precise Imaging:
Precise Imaging offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic imaging services with a network of easily accessible imaging centers. With a focus on providing high-quality imaging and outstanding patient care, Precise Imaging is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of patients, medical professionals, and healthcare organizations.
The Power of MRI Exams in Personal Injury Lawsuits
The health and wellbeing of individuals are often vulnerable to mishaps and accidents that can cause personal injuries. Such injuries could result in a legal dispute where the injured person, known as the plaintiff, seeks compensation for damages from the person or entity they believe caused their injury. In these instances, a comprehensive understanding of the injury's extent is paramount, often heavily relying on medical records and procedures. One such crucial diagnostic tool is the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination. This article delves into how MRI exams can provide substantial assistance in personal injury lawsuits.
MRI is a non-invasive imaging technique that employs a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to generate detailed images of the inside of a body, typically focusing on soft tissues and organs. Unlike other imaging techniques like X-ray and CT scans, which primarily concentrate on skeletal injuries, MRI scans provide a comprehensive view of non-bony structures, like muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even the brain. This ability to visualize soft tissues makes MRI a valuable tool in evaluating the full extent of an injury.
In the context of personal injury lawsuits, MRI scans serve multiple critical roles. Primarily, it provides an objective basis for the plaintiff's claims of injury. Subjective symptoms like pain, discomfort, or restricted mobility may not convince a jury. However, visual evidence of damage, such as a torn ligament or herniated disc, becomes a tangible piece of evidence supporting the plaintiff's claims. By demonstrating the injury's existence and severity, MRI results can counter any argument that the plaintiff is exaggerating or feigning their condition.
Secondly, MRI results can contribute to determining the prognosis of an injury. The extent of damage revealed in the scan can help predict the duration of recovery, potential complications, and the possibility of permanent disability. This information is crucial in estimating the future medical costs, loss of earnings, and even non-economic damages like pain and suffering, which the plaintiff may include in their claim for compensation.
Furthermore, the timing of an MRI can also be a strategic element in a personal injury case. Early MRI exams might not reveal certain types of injuries like soft tissue damage, as these can take time to manifest. An MRI performed too soon could lead to an underestimation of the injury's extent, possibly harming the plaintiff's case. On the other hand, an MRI conducted too late might give the defendant an opportunity to argue that the injury was caused by something other than the initial incident. Hence, the timing of MRI is a critical factor in personal injury cases.
Finally, it's important to note that MRI results need to be interpreted and presented by a medical expert. Precise Imaging has several board certified radiologist that will review the images taken by the technologist and provide a report with their finding.
In conclusion, MRI examinations can be a powerful tool in personal injury lawsuits, aiding in confirming the existence and severity of an injury, predicting its prognosis, justifying medical expenses, and providing compelling evidence for the jury. However, these benefits are maximized when the timing of the MRI and interpretation of its results are strategically managed. It's crucial for individuals in these situations to consult with both medical and legal professionals to ensure the most effective use of MRI examinations in their case.
Precise Imaging Patient Portal is now live
Precise Imaging is excited to announce the launch of our new patient portal, a cutting-edge platform that streamlines the process of managing appointments and preparing for exams. With this new portal, patients can access their upcoming appointment times, view facility information, prefill out screening questions, and sign necessary paperwork, all in one convenient location.
Our patient portal is designed to save patients valuable time and make their appointments go quicker. By allowing patients to manage their appointments and complete necessary paperwork online, we are able to reduce the amount of time they spend in the waiting room and on administrative tasks. This means patients can spend more time focusing on their health and well-being.
In addition to saving time, our patient portal also offers patients the convenience of being able to access their appointment information and complete necessary paperwork from the comfort of their own home. This is especially useful for patients who have mobility issues or for those who are unable to visit our facility in person.
We understand that managing appointments and preparing for exams can be a stressful experience. That's why we've developed this patient portal to make the process as smooth and convenient as possible. This new feature will allow patients to spend less time worrying about administrative tasks and more time focusing on their health and well-being.
We invite all of our patients to take advantage of this new feature. To access the patient portal, simply visit our website and click on the patient portal button. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.
At Precise Imaging, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care for our patients, and this new patient portal is just one of the many ways we are working to improve the patient experience.
Thank you for choosing Precise Imaging.
Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury: CT Scans and MRI Tests
Researchers suspect that the true rate of mild traumatic brain injuries remains much higher than reported, suggesting the need for broader awareness of the condition. Diagnosis through imaging studies can help.
Neuroradiologists possess powerful tools for revealing the presence of traumatic brain injury (TBI): the CT scan and the MRI scan. Not every patient with suspected TBI requires imaging studies, but for those who do, these two techniques can greatly improve outcomes through prompt diagnosis.
Each of these diagnostic techniques carries its own strengths and hazards, and physicians order them in different cases. A thorough understanding of brain imaging studies can help the medical community identify cases of TBI more readily, leading to better, faster interventions.
This is a subject of increasing concern among doctors; traumatic brain injuries — especially of the mild variety, more commonly known as concussions — are fairly common. In 2013, around 2.5 million people visited an emergency room with TBI-related complaints. Most cases in the 15-24 age range are related to motor vehicle accidents, but among causes, there’s a close second: playing sports.
Measuring TBI in the Sports Community
The sports community is particularly interested in improving treatment for TBI, and for good reason. Remember that more concussions and brain injuries come from playing sports than any other cause except for car accidents.
A brief glimpse through the numbers paints an alarming picture:
- In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that nearly 250,000 children and teenagres visit emergency departments for concussions received while playing sports.
- The reported risk of concussion among football players is as high as 75 percent, reports Radiology Today, citing the Sports Concussion Institute.
- The University of Pittsburgh’s Brain Trauma Research Center estimates that about 300,000 concussions are associated with sports in a given year.
- The same institution lists the chance of concussion for athletes in contact sports to be up to 19 percent per year of play.
These statistics explain why researchers are working so hard to find fast, field-side imaging tests that can pinpoint the severity of TBI immediately following the event. Promising options include stadium MRI rooms and highly portable ultrasound; still, for most players at all levels, radiology-assisted diagnosis of TBI will involve a trip to the imaging center. This places us firmly back in CT/MRI territory.
CT Scans in the Diagnosis of TBI
Computerized tomography (CT) scans take multiple X-rays and combine them into cross-sectional “slices” of internal structures. While this exposes the patient to small doses of ionizing radiation, but it’s also the fastest, most accurate way to identify bleeding and swelling in the brain.
Clearly, edema (brain swelling) and hematoma (bleeding in and/or around the brain) are serious conditions. The faster doctors discover them, the better for the patient. Typically, then, physicians order CT scans for suspected acute injuries to the brain. The CT scan is the modality of first access.
Later, doctors may order more CT scans to track healing in TBI instances that don’t require surgery. As with every order of an X-ray procedure, physicians weigh the benefits of the treatment against the risks posed by exposure to radiation before making a referral.
MRI Scans in the Diagnosis of TBI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the go-to tool for identifying subtle effects of injury, including bruising, scarring, and microscopic damage to nerve fibers. Images produced by CT scan won’t reveal these conditions, though nerve fiber injury is a common cause of stubborn symptoms.
Sometimes brain tissue is injured too severely to recover, so MRI scans can track the results of a TBI for years following the precipitating event. This imaging modality is another powerful tool in the neuroradiologist’s brain-injury kit.
Schedule Diagnostic Imaging for Patients with TBI
Ultimately, health care providers will determine the appropriate imaging technique for each patient showing signs of TBI. Plenty of non-radiological tests exist; these may be enough to recognize and begin treatment for milder injuries to the brain.
Physicians who need fast access to radiology services in cases of TBI can make referrals through the Precise Imaging physician’s portal. This online tool provides anytime access to the crucial services we provide.
Call Precise Imaging at 800-558-2223 to make a referral or schedule an appointment today.
References:
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Justification of Estimates for Appropriation Committees, Fiscal Year 2016.” CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2016. PDF. 2 Jan. 2019.
Orenstein, Beth. “A Closer Look at Concussions.” RadiologyToday. Great Valley Publishing Company, Inc., Sept. 2016. Web. 2 Jan. 2019.
Prince, Carolyn and Maya Bruhns. “Evaluation and Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: The Role of Neuropsychology.” NLM. Brain Sciences, Aug. 2017. Web. 2 Jan. 2019.
“Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Concussion.” ASNR. American Society of Neuroradiology, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2019.
Diagnostic Imaging and Pre-Existing Conditions in Car Accident Claims
Diagnostic imaging is a powerful tool for car accident claims — but that’s true for insurance companies as well as plaintiffs. Personal injury attorneys often seek MRI scans and X-rays to demonstrate undeniable proof of injury. On the other hand, insurance companies will pounce on any hint of a pre-existing condition to avoid hefty payouts.
Don’t let insurers confuse the jury on the subject. In most states, a long-standing legal doctrine upholds the plaintiff’s right to damages in car accident cases. Pre-existing conditions are rarely the lone cause of injury for victims of car wrecks, and aggravating a condition still counts as injury.
Here’s what you need to know about car accident claims involving evidence of a pre-existing condition uncovered during imaging tests.
Degenerative Disc Disease in a Car Accident Case
Suppose you have a client who has been in a car accident, and is now suffering from lower back pain. An MRI scan reveals lumbar strain, but it also shows clear signs of degenerative disc disease. The insurer is likely to argue that the pre-existing condition reduces their liability for the injury.
This is by no means a rare scenario. Degenerative disc disease is extremely common; in fact, disc degeneration is all but inevitable for people older than 60. But many people who technically meet the diagnostic criteria for the condition don’t experience any symptoms at all.
The question under the law is not whether the pre-existing condition caused the injury; it is to what extent the accident produced the damage. The patient’s susceptibility to injury should not affect the value of the settlement; the court must consider the extent of the injury, not the plaintiff’s fragility.
The Eggshell Doctrine in U.S. Personal Injury Law
The Eggshell Doctrine is well established in most states. The maxim holds that defendants remain responsible for at-fault injuries regardless of the plaintiff’s pre-existing health conditions. In the above example, this would mean that, if the car accident led to a lumbar sprain in the victim, the presence of asymptomatic degenerative disc disease should not invalidate the claim.
In short, there’s no need to worry that an MRI scan, X-ray, or other form of diagnostic imaging will harm the plaintiff’s case. Even if advanced imaging techniques reveal pre-existing conditions, if the victim was injured in a car accident and another driver was at fault, the case remains strong.
Precise Imaging works with personal injury attorneys to obtain restitution for plaintiffs in multiple states. We offer the experience, flexibility, and patient-centered care it takes to win car accident cases, and we offer a suite of resources just for attorneys. Browse our online tools for lawyers here.
To book an appointment for a client, call Precise Imaging at 800-558-2223 today.
Comparing MRI and CT Scans in Personal Injury Cases
Diagnostic imaging is crucial to many personal injury lawsuits, but what type of imaging do your clients need? Odds are, doctors and legal teams will point toward one of two options: an MRI scan or a CT scan.
These procedures could provide crucial evidence in your case, clarifying to jurors and the judge what was merely conjecture before. Here are the main differences between CT scans and MRI scans, along with a few things personal injury attorneys should know about these popular diagnostic imaging modalities.
CT Scans and How They Work
Computerized Axial Tomography, otherwise known as a CT scan, uses X-rays to produce detailed images of the human body. The basic concept is this: The machine shoots a narrow beam through the target area of the body. Then it rotates the beam, creating a cross-sectional image.
Most of the radiation passes through the body, but when it hits denser material such as bone, it stops. This is how bones show up on the screen as a contrast. Through the use of multiple images stacked on top of each other, the computer program creates a 3D picture of the patients insides.
The scan is a non-invasive procedure. Note, however, that it does expose the patient to ionizing radiation.
MRI Scans and How They Work
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, uses powerful magnets to create a strong magnetic field. The machine then sends pulses through the patient’s tissues to create clear 3D images of the target area.
This technology does use damaging radiation during photo capture, and it’s totally non-invasive. The patient rests inside a large magnet during the procedure, and must remain quite still during the whole process, or else risk a distorted result. However, resulting images are often highly accurate and detailed.
The Benefits of MRI Scans and CT Scans in Personal Injury Cases
If a picture is really worth a thousand words, in the courtroom, it could be worth many thousands of dollars. Some sort of diagnostic imaging can strengthen virtually any case.
Of course, each imaging modality offers specific benefits to the patient and client, depending on the nature of the injury itself. CT scans, for example, are far better at diagnosing breaks, fractures, and other types of bone damage.
Due to a lack of water in bones, a necessary component to MRI imaging, they don’t provide a lot of detail in MRI images. On the other hand, MRI scans are excellent at imaging soft tissues, like ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves.
The Disadvantages of CT Scans and MRI Scans in Establishing Injury
Both of these image modalities have disadvantages, although not serious ones. CT scans sometimes do use contrasting agents, so make sure there is no allergic reaction history before agreeing to this aspect of the procedure. CT scans also use X-rays to produce image, although only those who are pregnant should avoid them as a result and even then, only the areas of the abdomen and pelvis should be avoided.
In regards to an MRI, due to the strong magnetic field used, people with certain implants (especially those with iron, such as a pacemaker), should never enter an MRI machine. The MRI is also quite loud, and in certain cases could induce claustrophobia, so if there is a patient history of this clinical diagnoses should generally avoid MRI scans.
The main takeaway here is that both CT and MRI scans can provide tremendous legal benefits during a personal injury case. They may provide powerful evidence of the extent of injury. Of course, attorneys should take their lead from doctors. The leading factor in deciding which image modality is determining the type of trauma after consultation with a medical professional.
Digital Sharing for Medical Images: PACS vs. VNAs
Health care providers are virtually required to have digital infrastructure that includes sharable medical images these days. But if you’re looking to upgrade your system, or you’re implementing your first digital image archive, you have many software products to choose from.
The leading technologies for storing and retrieving medical imaging files are picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and vendor neutral archives (VNAs). While the two competing formats look similar on first glance, there are notable differences between them. Before we get to the contrasts, though, it’s important to note what PACS and VNAs have in common. Here are a few of the constants across both types of imaging technologies:
- Both PACS and VNAs provide remote access to images. Radiologists can upload images on one terminal, while physicians in a different office can log in to access them. This is the crucial requirement of all digital image-sharing systems.
- Both systems operate with the same file format and transmission protocol: DICOM, which stands for “digital imaging and communications in medicine.” File formats can lead to accessibility problems, as each application is only equipped to handle certain types of files. The universal use of DICOMs between PACS and VNAs seems to suggest that migrating images between the two systems would be seamless. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. We’ll get into that a little later.
- Both options may or may not also operate as a platform for non-DICOM images. This is an important question to ask when considering changes to an image-sharing system for medical care. If departments other than radiology are hoping to upload and access images through the same system, it is vital to choose software that can support non-DICOM images.
- Designers of both PACS and VNAs are working to improve mobility and access to images across different types of devices. That’s one of the leading requests by radiologists and other health care providers — physicians want to be able to call up an image, safely and with full HIPAA compliance, on a tablet or even a phone in the examination room with their patients. They also want access at office desktops for consultation and reporting.
Despite these similarities, PACS and VNAs have very different sets of advantages. To complicate matters, many PACS are beginning to provide some of the features that initially launched the popularity of the VNA. Before making a system-wide purchase (or subscription service, which is also available from many vendors), it’s important to consult all stakeholders in your health care system, and to get to know your vendor and their product well.
That said, there are some broad-strokes difference between your average PACS and a typical VNA. We’ll get into those next.
PACS vs. VNAs: Differences Between Medical Image-Sharing Platforms
According to the trade publication Diagnostic Imaging, the VNA tends to focus on archiving and backing up data, while the PACS usually emphasizes workflow and user experience. Of course, these general principles are less significant in today’s market, where there are a wide variety of VNAs and PACS, and their strong points have begun to overlap.
That said, here are some of the differences between PACS and VNAs that users and medical industry analysts have pointed out:
- The PACS is the original technology used to archive and retrieve digital medical images. As such, it’s often the choice of individual radiology departments, which were among the first to adopt digital imaging. VNAs, on the other hand, are more often found in multiple departments.
- PAC systems are more highly proprietary than most VNAs. That is, each individual PACS will require its own user interface and its own log-in information. VNAs were designed to support storage and access across systems and vendors. Of course, new developments in PACS technology renders this difference conditional, but it remains the conventional wisdom among medical technology experts.
- A VNA, by definition, divorces the storage/access functions of a PAC from a particular workstation or data silo. It uses its own application engine, allowing users to access images from multiple sources with the same user interface. That’s what makes VNAs typically better for interoperability between systems compared to a traditional PACS.
While the above list does seem to argue for the dominance of VNAs over PACS, in actual practice, implementation isn’t always the best choice for every provider. It can be expensive and time-consuming to migrate data from an existing PACS to a brand new VNA.
That’s because DICOM files contain both metadata and location pointers. The former attached patient information to the image; the latter helps the system find and pull up the specific image the user searches for.
During transition, all of this supplemental information can become scrambled, preventing access to images. In order to avoid this outcome, vendors often must reset DICOM headers and location pointers to ensure accuracy and access in the new system. That can be a lengthy and cost-intensive process.
Ultimately, then, institutions with the time and the money will benefit from an upgraded VNA system. More practically, some users will choose a PACS, with or without newly developed features. Regardless of the archiving and retrieval system, digital transmission for diagnostic images is practically a requirement in today’s medical system. Choose an imaging software product that makes it easy to share images with other departments and institutions.
References:
Jackson, Whitney. “What You Need to Know About VACS and VNA.” DiagnosticImaging.” UBM, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2018.
O’Dowd, Elizabeth. “Pros and Cons of PACS, VNAs for Medical Image Data Storage.” HitInfrastructure. Xtelligent Healthcare Media, LLC, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2018.