With a focus on improving the patient experience, WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital will relocate one of two existing MRI units in the WellSpan Washington Street Health Center to space near the hospital’s imaging services and emergency department.
Approximately 600 MRI exams are performed annually for WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital inpatients. Having the MRI unit onsite will eliminate the need to transfer patients across the street to the health center. An ambulance service and a licensed staff escort provide the transfer.
“Having an MRI unit located within the hospital will truly benefit both our patients and staff," said Jane Hyde, senior vice president, WellSpan Health and president, WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital.
“We continue to look for ways to ensure our patients have the best care experience possible, and to focus on the safety of the people under our care. This transition does that. It also decreases costs associated with staff productivity and ambulance fees. It’s a win for everyone.”
When it becomes operational in June, the hospital’s MRI unit will be used as the leading option for outpatient MRI testing. An open model MRI unit, introduced in 2006, will remain for select outpatient use in the Washington Street Health Center.
The move from the Washington Street Health Center to the hospital’s emergency department lobby area will occur on Saturday, April 26. An outside firm that specializes in moving large and sensitive imaging equipment will oversee the relocation.
The hospital’s MRI unit will be located in shell space built during the emergency department project, which was completed in 2012. It will be in the same area of the hospital’s other imaging modalities, and in close proximity to the emergency department.
Between now and the reactivation of the moved unit, a mobile MRI will be located near the hospital’s community room entrance. The mobile unit will allow the shutdown of the relocated unit to proceed.
The mobile unit offers the same level of quality MRI images as that of the unit being moved to the hospital. It will be onsite until the relocated unit is reactivated in June.