The latest technology upgrade to the Radiology Department at Good Samaritan Health Center is the installation of a permanent full field digital Mammography unit.

“This new digital mammography system brings the latest technology to the women in our community,” said Nancy Dabbert, lead mammography technician, “The system provides improved visibility of the breast tissue and enhances the quality and clarity of the images.”

Benefits gained by moving to digital technology include:

• Better visibility of the breast, particularly near the skin line, the chest wall and in women with dense breast tissue.
• Exams can take less than half the time.
• Fewer call backs for patients. The flexibility to magnify and manipulate digital images can provide more clinically relevant information and therefore can eliminate some callbacks that are necessary with traditional film-based mammography systems.
• The advancement of telemedicine, allowing breast images to be sent electronically or on a CD to be reviewed on a computer.
• Lower radiation dose in those with dense breast tissue.

The full field digital mammography system is the latest in a series of upgrades to the Good Samaritan Radiology Department. Other equipment upgrades recently in this important area of patient care include a new 4D ultrasound machine, a nuclear medicine imaging camera, CT-scanner and a recent upgrade to high definition of the on-site magnetic resonance system provided by Shared Medical Systems.

“We are pleased to offer this advanced technology which will be available every day to the Merrill community,” said Michael Hammer, Good Samaritan Health Center president. “For a hospital our size to be able to offer this technology is a true demonstration of Ministry Health Care’s commitment to provide the most advanced technology available for our patients.”