Incisive CT Scanner gives rural hospital a competitive edge

It’s estimated that in the United States, 46% of rural hospitals are operating in the red and at least 450 are at risk of closing.¹ One exception is Iron County Medical Center, a 15-bed critical access hospital in Pine Knob, Missouri that, according to Erika Griggs, Director of Radiology, treats “very sick people”. Iron County has been able to meet the needs of its community and then some by offering advanced imaging for CT angiograms (CTAs) and pulmonary embolisms (PEs). Until now, those types of scans were something residents would have had to travel up to 45 minutes to receive from larger hospitals.

To keep up with the needs of its patient population, Griggs said she knew that it was time to upgrade their GE Bright Speed CT 16-slice system. COVID-19 relief funds covered the entire cost of the upgrade, allowing Iron County Medical Center to make the move from GE to Philips and from a 16-slice to a 128-slice capability earlier than anticipated.

When comparing three competitor systems, Griggs says Philips Tube for Life guarantee² stood out to her immediately. This industry-first commitment will replace the Incisive CT scanner's X-ray tube at no additional cost throughout the entire life of the system, potentially lowering operating expenses by an estimated $420,000.³ A lower cost of ownership was just one of the operational efficiencies that appealed to Griggs. Her team also noticed improved workflow and throughput.

A streamlined workflow has also helped Iron County Medical Center become more efficient and productive. The technicians were nervous about making the jump to a more innovative and advanced system, but Griggs says the transition was easy. “The ability to switch from the GE [CT] to the Philips [CT] wasn’t hard for our techs because it is so user friendly; I think that’s huge. The workflow was really easy for us to switch over to with the platform.”

Griggs notes that before Incisive CT, Iron County Medical Center averaged less than 90 scans a month, or around three per day. Now they average 120 scans a month. That is a 30% increase* that comes without compromising image quality. Her team can utilize and automate workflows and maximize image quality, which helps reduce the number of rescans required and improves diagnostic confidence.

Griggs said that when the tube heated on their old scanner, the system developed noise and graininess that resulted in image degradation. That’s why artifact reduction and IQ consistency were so important to her.

With the addition of Incisive CT, Iron County Medical Center finally has the technology to do advanced imaging and fulfill a much-needed service in the community. The innovative features of Incisive CT allow the center to serve more diverse patient populations including elderly and anxious patients as well as those with higher BMIs.

The OnPlan patient-side gantry controls provide extra comfort and peace of mind by allowing radiologists to spend more time at their side. And with a simplified and intuitive workflow directly from the scanner, waiting time for results decreased by 19%,⁴ which means less time spent on the table for patients.

As she lists off the features that matter most to her staff, like the bariatric table and the crucial speed to scan, Griggs says the biggest benefit is being able to provide quality care right where they are.