Local Radiology Techs Work Hard to Minimize Wait Time for Procedures
Wait time for MRIs and CTs can often be weeks at larger health facilities, but locally, at Veterans Memorial Hospital, the wait is minimal.
Most MRIs and CT scans require pre-authorization from the patient’s insurance company before they can have the scan in order for insurance to pay. As soon as the Veterans Memorial Hospital Radiology receives that order for a scan, they do the work of acquiring the authorization themselves to speed up the process, then turn right around and do the scheduling of the procedure. With the Radiology department doing these steps themselves instead of passing them on to another department, the process is greatly accelerated.
“We can often enter the pre-authorization request right after the order is received and, on average, have that scan approved and completed in 3-5 days for MRIs and usually even faster for CTs,” explains Amanda Leiran, X-ray Manager at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “As soon as we receive the approved authorization, we call the patient and get the appointment scheduled. Often, we can get them in yet that same day. By us managing all of this ourselves, the process moves along much more quickly, and the patients really appreciate that.”
Gundersen Radiologists read all of the scans and X-rays completed by the hospital staff. “We electronically send the tests to Gundersen immediately, and they have them read for us the same day,” adds Leiran. “It is a great working relationship and again makes the entire local testing process move along much more quickly.”
Other services, such as basic X-rays, are typically performed on the same day at Veterans Memorial Hospital, and tech is available 24 hours a day for all emergencies. Most elective X-rays are taken the same day, and they offer flexible mammogram and bone densitometry scheduling to help meet the needs of those working during the day. All of the X-ray techs are knowledgeable about each of the machines and are available 24 hours a day for all emergencies needing any type of scan.
