Sutter Gould Uses Latest Technology to Improve Health Care Services
January 28, 2004
MODESTO – Sutter Gould Medical Foundation (SGMF) announced today the addition of new equipment and technology to assist Gould Medical Group physicians in providing high-quality health care services to Central Valley patients.
In late December, Sutter installed a state-of-the-art GE Lightspeed 16 CT Scanner at the 600 Coffee Road clinic. The CT scanner enables Gould radiologists and staff to take images of the internal structures of the head, body and extremities, with greater speed and detail than ever before.
“This is an extremely valuable tool in that it enables faster scans and provides superior images,” said Roberta Edge, Director of Imaging for SGMF. “Another benefit is the reduction in time that a patient spends in the scanner.” Besides faster scanning, the new scanner enables Gould radiologists to work with improved image capabilities, such as three-dimensional reconstruction for complicated orthopedics and neurology cases.
SGMF also completed installation of GE Medical Systems’ Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS). PACS enables Gould clinicians to electronically store and transmit patient imaging information. “PACS allows us to distribute X-ray images to all interested parties at the same time,” said Edge. “If a patient has to see two different Gould doctors in the same week, or even the same day, we no longer need to pick up or mail the films or get copies for each doctor.”
When a patient needs images to take to a physician outside of Sutter Gould’s health system, or there is a provider not using a compatible electronic medical records system, X-rays and reports can be saved on a compact disc so the doctor can see them on a personal computer. “It also makes physician consultations much easier,” said Brian Wistow, M.D., Gould’s Chief of Radiology. “Our images will be available to several physicians at once, including radiologists at Memorial Medical Center and here at Gould.”
Sutter Gould Medical Foundation has 18 care centers located throughout Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. SGMF is part of Sutter Health, one of the nation's leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers, delivering high quality care in more than 100 Northern California communities.
Sutter Health supports more than two dozen acute care hospitals, physician training programs, medical research facilities, and region-wide home health, hospice and occupational health services.