MRI: the good with the bad

A patient has waited for quite some time for the MRI their physician arranged at the new state- of- the- art unit at Brantford General Hospital. Finally, the big day arrives. Staff at the hospital is all set to see the patient. But the patient doesn’t show up. What?

“It is unfortunate, but it happens,” Derek Coenen, manager, diagnostic imaging said, “Even though we call patients 48- hours before their appointment to remind them.” Derek figures 5 patients every week do not arrive for their MRI appointment and some don’t bother to call to let us know. One patient has cancelled three times!

Derek’s wish, and that of the rest of the staff in the MRI suite, is that all patients take their MRI scan seriously. There are times when someone cannot make their scheduled appointment, and that is fine, but by letting the hospital know as soon as possible, an attempt can be made to contact someone else on the waiting list. Otherwise, the time slot on the MRI goes unfilled and the person that missed their appointment needs to be rescheduled.

Now for some good news about the MRI program at the BGH.

All requisitions for MRI scans are prioritized by a radiologist at the hospital. The most urgent cases, for instance a stroke or cancer case, may take precedent over a scan required of a hip or knee and are done as soon as possible. Recently, the radiologist determined that a MRI scan for an out-of-town patient was an emergency, so our staff responded right away and within hours the scan was completed and the patient received life-saving treatment the same day.

There is more good news.

“The design of the MRI suite is working out great,” Mike Comeau, MRI technical
specialist said. “There have been no safety issues and virtually no unscheduled downtime.
Comments from our patients have been very, very positive. They tell us our MRI is quiet
compared to others. Patients mention that they no longer need to take the entire day off
work to travel out of town.”

There are also interesting comments from patients that arrive from larger centres.

“These people say they are so surprised to see all that we have to offer here at the Brant Community Healthcare System,’ Derek said. “In the past we have been described as ‘the hidden jewel’ by experts; the comments from out-of-town patients confirm this.”

All this is great news for everyone who donated to bring MRI service to BGH. The Rizzo family, the Di Loreto’s, the number of donors that have participated is lengthy. Many who have toured the MRI suite all say the same thing: “Hopefully, you don’t need to have to use the MRI, but if you do, it is comforting to know it is here.”

There is even more great news about the MRI at BGH.

“The Ministry of Health initially provided funding for 4,160 scans a year,” Derek said. “In February and March, as part of the province’s wait time strategy, an additional 500 scans were awarded to the hospitals in our Local Health Integration Network and the BGH did 125 of them. Now, we have been told we are funded to provide 5,818 scans this year, and again next year.”

Now, if we can get those ‘no-shows’, potentially 260 appointments for MRI scans won’t go unfilled. 

Gary Chalk is senior executive director- public affairs & development for the Brant Community Healthcare System. Brantford General is a regional centre providing emergency, primary and specialized services. The Willett, Paris, is a multi- service health centre providing urgent care, primary and community outreach services.