Radiology services suspended during upgrades

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Summers Jr.
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The 23d Medical Group Diagnostic Imagery Flight suspended radiology services due to equipment upgrades that began Aug. 17, 2015.

The upgrade will replace current equipment with digital hardware and is expected to reduce appointment times by 50 percent.

During the upgrades, patients will receive a referral for X-ray services during the eight-week period. Active duty service members and dependents will have no out-of-pocket costs for the referral and all other beneficiaries will be responsible for a $12 copayment.

The current process for patients involves taking the X-ray, going to a separate office and processing the image, waiting for the image to load into the computer system, labeling the X-ray, a quality assurance check, and finally sending it to Lackland Air Force Base, TX, to be reviewed by specialists.

"One exam can be 5 to 6 minutes, but with the digital X-ray, I hit the button and it comes up on the screen," said Master Sgt. Tracey McLendon, 23d MDG diagnostic imagery flight chief.  "Once a (quality assurance check) is done, I just hit send to Lackland. This will alleviate a lot of the back and forth and cut patient time by half. "

McLendon said that the sooner they get the person x-rayed, the sooner the radiologist at Lackland can receive them and this new process has the potential of decreasing turn-around time from three hours to one.

"It's going to help tremendously with patient care because the quicker a doctor can provide a diagnosis, the faster the patient can get the proper care," she explained.

Senior Airman Christopher Kingsbury, 23d MDG diagnostic imagery flight technologist, said he is also excited to receive the new equipment.

"I think it's going to be great," Kingsbury said. "When we take the image, we can see it right then and helps with controlling the radiation exposure. It will also cut down on the repeat rate. Now when we take an X-ray, we can make a quick adjustment right there and then (as) opposed to having to redo the whole procedure."

The flight is expected to resume services in October 2015.

Individuals can visit the Benefits and Referrals office at the 23d MDG or call 229-257-2778 for additional assistance.