As someone who runs a medical imaging center, you play an essential role in the health ecosystem of an area. There are a lot of smaller medical practices out there that may not have the funds or space to maintain their own radiography equipment. You help make sure said patients have the procedures they need, like ultrasounds, x-rays, MRIs, and other examinations. However, this same function puts a lot of burden on medical imaging centers to provide the most high-quality images possible at a quick and efficient pace. Digital radiography is a key tool to make this happen.

The major benefit when it comes to medical imaging centers using digital radiography is the fact that just about everything is faster. Taking the images is faster. Organizing them is also faster due to being able to sort them digitally rather than relying on outdated physical filing. This is especially important because many medical imaging centers may need to send the images they take back to different practices so that the individual doctors can examine them. The last thing you want is for something to get lost or misplaced.

There are also financial reasons to try and make the move for digital radiography in medical imaging centers. In 2018, a new rule came into effect cutting Medicare and Medicaid x-ray reimbursements for analog and computed radiography. There’s no question as to why it is, as the government’s main intention was to incentivize upgrading to digital radiography to minimize patient exposure to radiation (another benefit). These reimbursements were a major source of revenue for many medical imaging centers. Losing a percentage of it could pose cash flow problems. Making a larger upfront investment now to upgrade could mean money saved later.

You could make the argument that medical imaging centers have the greatest need for digital radiography out of all medical businesses. No other establishment likely takes as many medical images in a given workday, and making sure that these can be taken effectively, efficiently, and quickly are all paramount concerns. As a result, medical imaging centers are likely to be the front line when we come to seeing digital radiography advancements in the future. If you happen to run a medical imaging center, make sure that you keep in touch with industry partners like JPI Healthcare Solutions to see the latest options available.