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Westside Medical Imaging

Patient FAQs

How soon can a patient be scheduled?

Does your office take care of the patients' insurance authorizations?

How soon can I get reports faxed/emailed to me?

Do I need a prescription from my doctor in order to be scanned?

What can you help diagnose?

How accurate is the 64 Slice CT scan?

What is the significance of the "64" Slice opposed to the lower multi-slice scanners?

What is the difference between the MRI and a CT scan?

Why are heart procedures not covered by insurance companies?

What is the difference between virtual colonoscopy and a traditional colonoscopy?

Should I stop medication?

How recent does my blood work have to be?

Why are some imaging centers cheaper?

Is 64 Slice the highest quality CT scanner?

How long will I be here?

Where is parking located?

Are there special preparations for the scans?

Will my medication interact with the scan?

How long will it take to get my results?

Do you have an MRI or PET?

Do you offer Nuclear Stress or Echo Cardiogram testing?

What is the significance of a coronary calcium score?

What is the difference between a coronary calcium score and a CTA of the chest with coronaries?

What is the purpose of getting a study done with contrast?

Are all the pictures reconstructed on a 3D work station?

Is there a radiologist on site?

Do you have low dose radiation protocol?

Can a CT of the chest detect lung cancer?

What are the benefits of a CTA of the chest with coronaries opposed to a nuclear stress test?



How soon can a patient be scheduled? Same day scheduling and performing the imaging studies can be done on patients who pay cash or who have Medicare insurance. It is helpful for patients to have the results of recent routine laboratory reports kidney function known as a "BUN" and "Creatinine".  Most insurance companies require a pre-authorization which can take anywhere from 2-10 business days to obtain. In urgent cases when an insured patient cannot wait for the authorization process, pre-payment with a credit card is customary with your being refunded if the insurance company pays for the imaging study.

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Does your office take care of the patients' insurance authorizations?  As a courtesy, our office staff will work with you to obtain the insurance authorization.  Expediting this process requires that we have complete and accurate insurance information and that your physician who has ordered the exam provides us with the necessary information from your medical record. There are times when the insurance company will want to speak directly to the ordering physician.

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How soon can I get reports faxed/emailed to me?  Our goal is to have reports faxed or emailed to the ordering physicians’ office within one full business day.  Stat studies are called directly to the physicians’ office within an hour of the study being complete.  Results of studies can be obtained from the ordering physician.

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Do I need a prescription from my doctor in order to be scanned?  Patients who are undergoing screening procedures such as coronary artery CT angiography, lung scanning, or virtual colonography do not need a doctors orders, however we will need to know if you have any allergies, in particular to contrast agents and shellfish. It would also be helpful to have the information on your kidney function which is part of routine blood testing most physicians perform on their patients.  If you are under the age of 55 years and have no history of kidney disease, diabetes or hypertension, you may not be required to have these test results available, though it can only be helpful if we can get them.

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What can you help diagnose? Imaging for physicians is like taking off our blindfolds.  64 slice cardiac CT for the first time allows us to look at your coronary arteries if you have risk factors to determine if you are at risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death. With so many treatments available that can reduce the risk of these complications; this is information that can be lifesaving.  The key is to prevent the event.  More patients die of heart disease then all of the cancers combined.  Nearly 10 times as many women die of heart disease compared to breast cancer.  CT is useful for screening for lung cancer in patients who have smoked more then 10 years in their lifetime.  CT colonography is particularly useful as an alternative to conventional colonoscopy in patients who have an aversion to colonoscopy or who take blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin), aspirin or Plavix.  In addition CT has been useful to diagnose a host of disorders in patients who have symptoms in their head, chest, abdomen, pelvis and the vascular supply to all organs.

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How accurate is the 64 Slice CT scan? CT has been shown to be very accurate in determining the presence or absence of coronary artery disease. It is far more accurate then conventional coronary angiography to determine the presence of the earlier phases of coronary artery diseases. The accuracy of the exam is not just based on the type of imaging equipment used but even more to the expertise, time and effort put in by the technical staff who obtain and reconstruct the images and physicians who read them.  At WMI we are blessed to have triple board certified cardiologists who have been the pioneers in the field of cardiac CT along with a highly skilled radiologist in-house who read and interpret your studies.

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What is the significance of the "64" Slice opposed to the lower multi-slice scanners?  The term "64" slice relates to the number of sensors that move around the patient that obtain the images.  In order to obtain images of the heart which unlike any other organ is in constant motion, there is a requirement to have at least 16 slices and ideally 64 slices to quickly obtain the highest quality images that have the least amount of blurring. 

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What is the difference between the MRI and a CT scan?  An MRI uses the magnetic fields or magnets to obtain pictures of body organs and blood vessels where CT uses x-ray.  There are certain examinations that can be performed by both technologies and some such as the coronary artery studies that can only be performed with CT.

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Why are heart procedures not covered by insurance companies? This is a good question.  If you ask the insurance company, they will claim that his is an experimental procedure even though it is approved by the FDA and as of late 2007 paid for by Medicare as a diagnostic (versus screening) study.  Despite many clinical trials showing the ability of cardiac CT to be an important imaging modality and the lives we have saved with it every week, this is a good question to ask your insurance agent.

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What is the difference between virtual colonoscopy and a traditional colonoscopy?  Virtual colonoscopy uses CT technology to get an excellent view of the colon to find malignant and pre-malignant lesions.  It does not require intravenous sedation, the use of a colonoscopy tube and thereby avoid the risk of colon perforation. The main advantage of virtual colonography is that you do not have to miss a day of work.  As soon as you are done with this exam that takes about one hour, you are free to drive out and continue on with your day.  Though traditional colonoscopy remains the standard, recent clinical trials comparing these two approaches along with the similar effectiveness is making colonography more and more popular. 

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Should I stop medication?  Most medications do not need to be stopped.  You can feel free to contact our office with questions regarding specific medication.

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How recent does my blood work have to be?  In patients who have any history or diabetes, hypertension or kidney failure, it would be helpful to have blood work (BUN and Creatinine) performed within the last 1-3 months.  In patients who do not have any of these conditions and are < 55 years of age, blood work is not needed. In patients > 55 years of age who do not have diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease, we would prefer lab work being performed within the last 6 months.

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Why are some imaging centers cheaper?  Whenever you buy anything you have to "compare apples to apples and not to oranges".  It is our philosophy at WMI to have the highest quality studies performed with the smallest risk to the patient. This means we pay attention to lots of details including using more expensive, higher quality contrast agents, using protocols that minimize exposure to x-ray to acceptable levels, having the most highly qualified technical staff and the most experienced and qualified readers in the United States.

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Is 64 Slice the highest quality CT scanner?  64 Slice CT is the highest quality CT available that has the clinical trial data showing how effective it is. 

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How long will I be here?  Examinations that do not require the use of contrast or colonography enable your visit here to be less then 30 minutes in most cases.  The use of contrast agents is associated with stays between 30-60 minutes.

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Where is parking located? Metered parking is available on La Cienega from 9:00AM to 4:00PM with parking also available on the side streets.  In addition, parking is available within the medical building.

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Are there special preparations for the scans?  Different scans have different preparations.  This information will be provided to you at the time your appointment is made. Patients who undergo heart scans are asked to avoid caffeinated products for 24 hours, not eat solid food within 4 hours of the administration of contrast but be well hydrated.

Will my medication interact with the scan?  We generally request that patients do not take Glucophage (metformin) for 48 hours following the scan if contrast is given. 

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How long will it take to get my results? The best way to get the results is from your physician who ordered the examination.  Most non-cardiac exam results are sent to your physician within 24 hours.  Since cardiac studies require much more time for image reconstruction, these study results are usually not available for 3-4 business days from the day the study was performed.

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Do you have an MRI or PET? The state of the art MRI will be in operation by the Fall of 2009.

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Do you offer Nuclear Stress or Echo Cardiogram testing? Yes. Call today and schedule an appointment:
(310) 289-9955

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What is the significance of a coronary calcium score? The presence of coronary calcium means you have coronary artery disease and therefore at heightened risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death. It does not provide information on the severity of blockages or whether they are located in high risk or low risk parts of your coronary arteries. The absence of calcium means that you are less likely to have coronary artery disease but does not rule it out.  Usually patients who have an abnormal coronary calcium score are treated more aggressively with statins and other treatments to lower LDL-cholesterol to less then 70 mg/dl/.  This exam does not use any contrast agents and is available with little notice needed from you.

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What is the difference between a coronary calcium score and a CTA of the chest with coronaries? A cardiac CTA is an angiogram that requires a modest amount of contrast given intravenously and allows one to determine whether you have hard (calcified) and soft (non-calcified) plaque, can determine the location and severity of plaque.  In addition, this study can look at heart function, valve function as well as image the aorta, pulmonary arteries and other structures in the chest.

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What is the purpose of getting a study done with contrast?  Contrast agents allow us to identify and characterize abnormal structures in the body better when studies are performed first without contrast and then with contrast administration.  Whether a particular study requires contrast depends on the clinical question being asked and the organ system being imaged.  These issues can be discussed either with the ordering physician or our medical staff.

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Are all the pictures reconstructed on a 3D work station? Yes, we find the 3D workstation allows us to detect abnormalities much more effectively then the older 2D workstations but also requires the reading physicians to spend more time evaluating your study. Many imaging centers still use the 2D workstations because they are less expensive and allow the reader to read the studies faster.

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Is there a radiologist on site? Can he discuss findings with me after
the test?  We do have a radiologist on site and he is available to discuss the results of the study with you.  Since he may not have complete background information on your condition that the ordering physician has, we strongly prefer you discuss the results of the scan with your physician

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Do you have low dose radiation protocol? Yes, our low dose protocol reduces exposure to radiation by nearly 70% compared to other imaging centers.

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Can a CT of the chest detect lung cancer? CT is the exam of choice to detect lung cancer.  Lung cancers that are detected on CT that are not visible on chest-x-ray have very high cure rates.  Once you wait till it is seen on a chest -x-ray, cure rates go down considerably.

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What are the benefits of a CTA of the chest with coronaries opposed to a nuclear stress test?  These two exams compliment each other.  A stress exam is good for patients who have exertional symptoms.  It will not detect a coronary blockage that is less then 70%. Therefore a negative stress test only means you do not a severe blockage but will miss the mild and moderate blockages that are responsible for most heart attacks.  A cardiac CT will identify any blockage as well as evaluate heart muscle function and valve function as well as identify clots in the heart, thoracic aortic aneurysms, lung cancers and pulmonary emboli, all of which can cause chest pain.  As a convenience to patients, both exams are available at our state of the art imaging center.

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Westside Medical Associates of Los Angeles

Westside Medical Imaging is the Diagnostic Division of
Westside Medical Associates of Los Angeles

  

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Westside Medical Associates of Los Angeles

Copyright ©2013 Westside Medical Imaging
64-Slice CT Scan, Body, Heart, and Vascular Imaging in Southern California
99 N La Cienega Blvd. • Suite 103 • Beverly Hills, CA • 310.623.1150

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