Courtesy photo This photo from the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows a radiologist examining a brain scan taken at the National Institutes of Health headquarters in Maryland.
ALPENA — When it comes to medical exams, time is a precious commodity.
So when X-ray results started being delayed across the state, doctors knew something had to be done.
“This is a problem, I think, that goes well beyond our health care system,” said Jeffrey Provenzano, vice president of professional services for MyMichigan Health, the Midland-based owner of Alpena Hospital.
MyMichigan Health is a leading medical provider affiliated with the University of Michigan, with medical centers throughout central and northern Michigan.
According to Provenzano, the problem began in the fall of 2023, when one of the company’s imaging partners experienced high turnover. The problem spread, and Provenzano said some patients began seeing longer-than-expected wait times.
“It’s become a bigger problem over the last four to six months,” he said. “The results have lagged a little bit over time.”
To combat this growing problem, MyMichigan Health sent out a press release to inform patients about the delay. In the release, the health system outlined how it could reduce wait times and mitigate delays.
The company is adding radiologists and providers and will also send patients’ appointment dates to the health system’s imaging partner, Advanced Radiology Services, to try to ensure results are ready for each patient’s next appointment.
Provenzano said MyMichigan has been working with Advanced Radiology for about two years. He said that partner, along with the four additional radiologists MyMichigan has hired, will expedite imaging results by processing them remotely.
He said patients can go to the provider of their choice to have their X-rays done. The images will then be sent to Advanced Radiology radiologists, who will review them, write a report and send it back to the provider so patients can get results much faster.
“It’s actually a master queue, or a list of all the images that need to be read,” he said. “It’s first in, first out, and they support the entire health system… I can’t say exactly how much it’s reduced costs in any particular area, but it’s helped.”
Provenzano said the solution will reduce wait times for patients needing tests for oncology appointments, CT scans, MRIs and more.
The press release also states that Advanced Radiology is working to expand its organization and will add nine new providers by November.
“Ultimately, timely access to results directly impacts patient care,” MyMichigan CEO Lydia Watson said in a statement. “We are committed to improving our imaging services and will continue to keep our patients informed as their scan results progress.”
This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s mission is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the rise of rural news deserts.
