Baptist Union County receives new MRI machine to boost patient experience and reduce exam times

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County received a new MAGNETOM Altea MRI machine to enhance patient experience and reduce exam times.

MAGNETOM Altea is designed to deliver patient satisfaction with noise cancellation features and by using free-breathing, accelerated exams that boost efficiency and automation by reducing numerous time-consuming workflow steps.

The MAGNETOM Altea gives health care providers access to neurology, orthopedic, abdominal and whole-body imaging for patients. This is part of an overall $1.1 million investment by Baptist Memorial Health Care, which has purchased five of these machines for various hospitals in its system.

Although the main device weighs approximately 10,000 pounds and required a 279-foot crane to unload, crews said technology has advanced to the point that this unit only weighs about a third of the previous MRI. Despite that, unloading and installing the device was a precise operation that required considerable planning.

“Our investment in the MAGNETOM Altea gives our team another tool to provide patients and community with comprehensive care that is fast and accessible,” said James Grantham, CEO and administrator at Baptist Union County.

Baptist Union County has also been approved for a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner that workers said should arrive later this year.

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department and diagnostics. The hospital also has 3D mammography, TeleHealth services and an eICU. Baptist Union County has an excellent reputation for providing quality care and recently earned an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group as well as receiving the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Most notably, Baptist Union County earned five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the hospital’s quality, outcomes, safety and patient satisfaction. For more information about Baptist Union County, please call 662-538-7631 or visit unioncounty.baptistonline.org.

A hole had to be cut to move the scanner inside but it was still a tight fit.

The crane that unloaded the scanner and related equipment is so heavy the counterweights and other parts had to be trucked in separately because of load limits.