Meade District Hospital Highlights AIS-serviced Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound Machines
By Erin Register
For over 60 years, Meade District Hospital in Meade, Kansas has been providing comprehensive, patient-focused, inpatient, outpatient and emergency care.
Brad Bird, Director of Imaging, has had success with both the GE Millennium MG dual-head gamma camera and Alpinion E-Cube ultrasound system, provided by Associated Imaging Services (AIS). Bird was able to further explain the technology and how these pieces have impacted his facility in a question-and-answer session.
Q: What communities and services does Meade District Hospital provide?
A: We provide cardiac rehabilitation, laboratory, home health/friend care, physical therapy, radiology, respiratory therapy, specialty clinic and surgery. While we are a small, regional hospital, we provide a variety of services to the people of Southwest Kansas, Oklahoma and the surrounding areas. We are passionate about our care and demonstrate that with our patients. Our motto is “trust us that we will take care of you.” We provide that “hometown feeling.”
Q: Can you tell us more about the imaging services you offer?
A: In our radiology/X-ray department, we are a critical access hospital, which results in a big regional draw. We offer nuclear medicine, echocardiograms, CT, DEXA, MR, general radiography and many other exams and services.
Q: How long have you had your GE Millennium MG dual-head gamma camera? What has been your experience so far?
A: We have had this piece of equipment for around four years. There was a rigid evaluation process to make that capital decision of purchasing the equipment we needed. AIS had a very comprehensive package of service and engineering staff who are very knowledgeable and trustworthy. The GE Millennium MG is great. We made the switch from a single-head to a dual-head, which increased throughput and decreased downtime. Purchasing this piece was a solid decision.
Q: How long have you had your Alpinion E-Cube ultrasound system? What has been your experience so far?
A: We have owned this piece for about two years. We loved the training we received with April from AIS. She came out and was very nice and confident in her training, which made it an easy transition. April was also very comprehensive and knowledgeable. This piece of equipment is reliable and compares well to a lot of vendors. Its image quality and ease of use are great.
Q: What are the most useful features of your systems?
A: The GE Millennium MG dual-head gamma camera has great reliability and ease of use. The Alpinion E-Cube 15 ultrasound system has great image quality and excellent configuration. I have been in radiology for 37 years, and I have gone through a lot of processes where I have not been happy with machines. These machines are not like those.
Q: How has having these two systems affected your center?
A: Our patients can rely on us and on the fact that we are able to take care of their imaging needs. Our uptime is always up, and we can ensure our patients can get through their exams with efficient speed.
Q: How has your relationship with AIS benefited your health center?
A: AIS is personable and very trustworthy. We can trust them, and we know that they will also keep and honor that trust. Through AIS, we have seen many benefits, including budgetary, patient-comfort and reliability. Hospitals want these things and want to know that we are also going to be in good hands. AIS offers professional and fair service. The turnaround time is much quicker, because they know what they are doing. Their competency helps us make the right service decisions for capital equipment.
Q: Would you recommend AIS to other physicians/centers?
A: I would highly recommend AIS and would encourage anyone to start a dialogue if they have any imaging needs. AIS is a company you can trust. In my book, trust is one of the most important things you can have with a servicing company.