A Pennsylvania hospital has spent $4.6 million to quadruple its month-to-month breast most cancers screening capability, leaders stated Wednesday.
Allegheny Well being Community made the funding at its Jefferson Hospital Breast and Imaging Heart in Jefferson Hills, which is a part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan space. Upgrades embrace enlarging the radiology area by nearly 2,000 sq. toes, additionally permitting the hospital to double its month-to-month diagnostic breast examination capability.
With the upgrades, Jefferson Hospital now has a second ultrasound room, two extra mammography areas, and a devoted bone density scanning room. The strikes come after the U.S. Preventive Companies Process Drive in April finalized suggestions that each one girls start present process mammography each different yr beginning at age 40 as an alternative of fifty.
“These up to date pointers have notably elevated the variety of girls who’re eligible for an annual mammogram,” Chong Park, MD, president of AHN Jefferson, stated in a July 10 announcement. “When paired with a rise typically affected person consciousness of danger profiles, we’ve seen an uptick in girls in search of companies from the AHN Jefferson Breast Heart.”
The ability additionally will supply superior know-how permitting radiologists to carry out image-guided biopsies “quicker, extra effectively and with much less tissue elimination.” Allegheny Well being Community moreover highlighted the middle’s bigger, extra personal ready space, together with enhanced check-in and check-out areas designed for “ease of entry and improved affected person wayfinding.” Plus, they’ve upgraded ready rooms for gowned sufferers and people with disabilities, bolstering privateness and luxury.
“This necessary funding in our facility permits us to supply the best degree of breast imaging and care in an especially comfy and patient-friendly setting,” Bethany Casagranda, DO, chair of the AHN Imaging Institute, stated within the announcement.
That is the newest in a collection of radiology-related tasks undertaken by the 14-hospital tutorial well being system. AHN in March 2023 opened its North Fayette Well being + Wellness Pavilion, providing one of many area’s first 3T MRI scanners. In November, it opened the expanded Bethel Park Well being + Wellness Pavilion breast and imaging heart, and Allegheny Valley Hospital is at present working to develop its radiology division.
“To higher serve our various affected person populations and communities, it’s important to have complete imaging care near dwelling,” Casagranda stated final yr.
