The Key to Surviving and Thriving: Versatility

Compassionate care in breast centers requires adaptable equipment and people

Owners and staff of breast imaging centers are continually challenged with being cost effective and time efficient while providing quality patient care. The overhead expenses for maintaining breast imaging centers have continually increased and obtaining reimbursement has become even more challenging. Doing smart business and offering compassionate patient care can be a tricky balancing act and one that requires a resourceful use of equipment and a staff with versatile clinical capabilities and skills.

“We use the Suros ATEC SapphireT and ATEC PearlT vacuum-assisted core biopsy system in all three imaging modalities," said Lucia Spears, MD, medical director of the Indianapolis Breast Center, P.C. (IBC).

Versatile Biopsy System Means Efficiency

That's why radiologists and breast imaging center managers seek out multi-use equipment that can provide cost efficiency during times of budget belt-tightening. The equipment has to be versatile in a variety of clinical settings and easy to use. An example of this is core biopsy capabilities.

"We use the Suros ATEC SapphireT and ATEC PearlT vacuum-assisted core biopsy system in all three imaging modalities," said Lucia Spears, MD, medical director of the Indianapolis Breast Center, P.C. (IBC). "This allows us to biopsy any patient with the convenience of one system in any imaging environment and provides a significant cost savings over using three separate systems."

The Indianapolis Breast Center is an independent, free-standing breast imaging center with a mission of providing quality imaging and diagnostic procedures with compassionate patient care. An on-line imaging flow model is used, allowing patients to receive imaging results for both screening and diagnostic appointments nearly instantaneously and before the patient leaves the facility. Mammography, ultrasound and percutaneous procedures (as time allows) are all often performed in one visit.

Time is Money

"This method of providing as much information as possible during a visit tends to decrease patient anxiety, decrease the time between diagnosis by imaging to tissue diagnosis, and decrease the time to treatment evaluation for malignant diagnoses. Patient satisfaction and care are ultimately improved," said Dr. Spears.

“The Suros system easily gives us this capability. It is very mobile, easy to set up, easy to use for radiologists and technologists, accurate, and comfortable for the patient."

"We have patients return to see us from across the state and the country. However, we always have to be cost conscious," Dr. Spears added. "Our center survives and thrives by our work. With reimbursement challenges, it is important for us to have a fast biopsy system that allows us to see more patients. As an independent imaging center, this is our only source of funding."