Banner Boswell installs new CT scanner, offers patients lower doses of radiation
SUN CITY, Ariz. (Oct. 17, 2011) – This month, Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City is installing a new CT scanner to enhance the level of service to patients in the Northwest Valley. This is the third CT scanner at the non-profit hospital, which performs about 30,000 CT scans each year.
The enhanced 64-slice Philips Ingenuity CT scanner offers patients 40 percent to 70 percent less radiation, a feature that underscores the efforts of Banner Boswell and Banner Health system to decrease the amount of radiation to patients through CT scans.
CT, or computed tomography, combines X-rays and computers to produce detailed, cross-sectional images of internal structures of the body, helping physicians successfully diagnose disease. However, CT scans also expose people to high levels of radiation, which is a concern for patients who receive multiple CT scans in a short period of time.
Banner Health, which operates 12 hospitals in Arizona, uses an enhanced electronic medical records system to provide physicians with a detailed, real-time alert every time a CT scan is ordered for a patient who has received three previous scans within 90 days prior to the order.
“Physicians are becoming increasingly aware of the risk of overexposure and are carefully considering the benefits and risks as they order CT scans,” said radiologist Steven Charney, MD, medical director of Banner Boswell’s Medical Imaging program. “While we aim to reduce the number of unnecessary CT scans for patients, for those who do need to have them, our goal is to make the CT scan as safe and fast as possible.”
Banner Boswell’s new CT scanner also has a motorized patient lift, a feature that is safer for patients and staff as they transfer patients on and off the bed of the scanner.
Banner Boswell Medical Center, located at 10401 W. Thunderbird Blvd. in Sun City, is a 501-bed campus specializing in neurosciences, heart care, cancer care, stroke care, orthopedics, acute rehabilitation, skilled nursing and emergency care. Supporting Banner Boswell’s mission of excellent patient care is the Sun Health Foundation, which encourages charitable giving to support the hospital. Banner Boswell is part of nonprofit Banner Health. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Boswell.
