South Sound Radiology Explains The Role Of Radiologists In Your Health Care

olympia radiology
Dr. Andrew Taylor has a subspecialty in body imaging. In his free time, Dr. Taylor likes to go boating, fishing and scuba diving. Those who work with him say he’s always a gentleman.
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olympia radiology
South Sound Radiology staff members Karin Efaw (left) and Minnow Wilson (right) get into the spirit of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, SSR is holding their 4th Annual ‘Every Woman Counts’ mammography event on October 5th.

Radiologists are often a mystery to their patients. Most people know that radiologists study images, but many people don’t know that radiologists are medical doctors with years of training. Some people confuse radiologists and radiology technologists.

Radiology technologists are also an important part of a radiology office.  Radiology ‘techs’ are specialists in areas such as x-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, mammography and are the individuals who prepare patients and perform most exams. Radiologists are the medical doctors trained to interpret images and perform procedures.

Many people do not know that interventional radiologists, also called surgical radiologists, work out of offices and hospitals performing minimally-invasive image-guided procedures. Most do not know that radiologists invented less invasive procedures that made surgeries easier and safer, including angioplasty and image-guided stent placement, and that interventional radiologists are usually an important part of a cancer care team. Most importantly, many people do not know that the skill level of their radiologist can dramatically influence the quality of their care.

It doesn’t help radiologists’ Wizard of Oz image that many patients never meet their radiologist. Often, if a patient has an MRI, CT, nuclear medicine test, x-ray, screening mammogram or a DEXA, they will not see the radiologist at all. In some cases, patients do get to know their radiologist, as when they have breast diagnostics or interventional procedures. For example, patients who have seen South Sound Radiology’s breast imaging radiologist, Dr. Lawrence Bennett, know he keeps llamas and is a weaver. But many of our physicians remain an enigma to their patients.

In other words, radiologists, who specialize in making and reading images, often have an image problem themselves.

Facts about radiologists:

olympia radiology
Dr. Andrew Taylor has a subspecialty in body imaging. In his free time, Dr. Taylor likes to go boating, fishing and scuba diving. Those who work with him say he’s always a gentleman.

1) Radiologists use imaging technology to diagnose and treat many types of disease.

2) Radiologists are medical doctors (D.O.’s or M.D.’s) with over nine years of graduate training. They must complete a medical degree, one-year internship and four years of residency training. Many pursue additional years of specialty training.

3) Some radiologists (like those at South Sound Radiology) have subspecialties in interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and oncology, breast imaging, musculoskeletal and neuroradiology.

And, an important take-home point:

4) It matters who your radiologist is and what technologies they use.

Why? Because better quality images and more careful radiologists can have a dramatic influence on the treatments your doctor prescribes and therefore the outcome to your health.

Examples:

1)    An Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT) sends a patient with a history of serious sinus problems for a CT scan. Does the radiologist who reviews the scan find the patient has developed a colloid cyst in his brain that needs to be treated with surgery?

olympia radiology
Dr. Kevin Roscoe was a primary care physician before becoming a radiologist, and sometimes travels abroad to provide free medical care to those in need.

2)    A woman with undiscovered breast cancer refers herself for an annual mammogram. Does the radiologist ‘see’ signs of a malignant tumor in the mammogram and schedule further diagnostic exams?

3)    A man has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Does he have a single liver tumor that should be treated with surgery to that area, or are there many tiny tumors throughout the liver that would completely change his treatment options? His oncologist needs the right answer to choose the right treatment.

These are just a few examples of why the experience and skill of a radiologist could matter to your health.

Also, if your radiologists are local, your doctor is likely to know them individually, see them at clinical meetings, know how they ‘read’ images and be able to reach them to discuss findings.

Conclusion

Getting the best answers possible from a radiologist can dramatically influence the quality of treatment that a primary care provider or specialist recommends.

In this changing healthcare environment, choices about healthcare are more often in the hands of the patient (yourself). So, the next time you are sent for a test or treatment, ask your doctor: Are they the best in the business? Are they local? Do you trust them?

olympia radiology
South Sound Radiology’s main Olympia office has two high-end MRI machines, including a 1.5T and 3T, both of which provide exceptional images and are comfortable for patients.

Kate Ballantyne is the communications specialist for South Sound Radiology, based out of Olympia Washington, with satellite offices in Aberdeen and Centralia. South Sound Radiology’s primary office is a state-of-the-art outpatient imaging center located across from Providence St. Peter’s emergency entrance on Ensign Road. SSR’s radiologists are all board-certified, with subspecialties in musculoskeletal, abdominal and body imaging, as well as interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and neuroradiology. SSR radiologists serve Capital Medical Center, Providence St. Peter’s Hospital, Providence Regional Cancer System, Providence Centralia Hospital, Summit Pacific Medical Center, Mason General and elsewhere in a four-county region. For more information, contact South Sound Radiology by phone at 928-493-4600 or visit www.southsoundradiology.com.

 

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