November MRI Newsletter - 'RSNA Primer'

Junk Architects is pleased to bring you the latest in MRI information specific to your planning, design and safety considerations.

RSNA Primer

For those attending the year's largest radiology trade show (and for those of us who aren't) we'd like to provide you with information on some of the latest developments in the world of MRI. We invite you to use these articles as an 'information shopping list.' Take these thoughts and visit the booths to get the vendors' take on each of these issues.

And if you're not going to sensory-overload-world-headquarters, take a look at each of these articles as small bites of RSNA 'take-out' which will help you keep on top of what's happening in MRI. For those articles that reference a specific vendors' product(s), links to the manufacturer's website and the booth number for RSNA are given.

Ferrous Detection Systems: This Is Not Your Father's Metal Detector.		Chilled Loop Failure: Or How To Break Your Magnet Without Even Trying.
After the young boy in New York was killed by a flying oxygen cylinder during a post operative scan in 2001, lawyers, risk managers and administrators foisted airport-style metal detectors on MRI departments with the intention of improving safety. Many are still there, unplugged and collecting dust... Click here to be taken to the full article.		We've all seen the pictures of floor polishers buried in the bores of magnets with the shattered remains of coils or phantoms scattered around. We know that 50 pounds of steel can cause tens of thousands of dollars of damage to an MRI. But did you know that only tablespoons of rust can cause similar damage?... Click here to be taken to the full article.

Watch Out CT, MRI Laser Simulation Is Here:		LED Lighting For Magnet Rooms:
With the recent report of the fractional and compounding increased cancer risk from CT, is it any surprise that radiology is looking at ways to accomplish diagnostic procedures without ionizing radiation? The latest innovation brings lasers into the magnet room to provide radiation therapy simulation via MRI... Click here to be taken to the full article.		Radiology trade magazines are bursting with four-color advertising of backlit pastoral wall and ceiling murals for MRI, CT and radiation therapy rooms. The images are beautiful and many attest to their calming effects on patients. But what if someone converted these decorative systems into a new magnet room lighting technology?... Click here to be taken to the full article.

Didn't I Read That Somewhere Before?

In the October 11th issue of RadiologyToday magazine is an article titled "Magnetic Contamination: The Ghost of MRI Past." The whirlwind of interest in the topic of magnetic contamination was sparked by an article our readers first read in the July issue of this newsletter.

AuntMinnie is re-publishing both feature articles from our October MRI Newsletter on their website. One is the article on HIPAA compliance strategies for MR control rooms (which ran on October 26th), the other on risks associated with high-field extremity systems is scheduled to appear on AuntMinnie next week, November 17th.

Lastly, Medical Dealer magazine reprinted our article, "When 'Safe' Isn't Safe Enough" in their October issue. MRI Newsletter readers will remember having read it in our September newsletter.

Beginning with our new subscription policies, we will introduce a moratorium after each newsletter, delaying reprints of all MRI Newsletter articles. This will assure that our subscribers will continue to be the first with crucial industry news and a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Missouri Hospital Association Presentation

On November 4th, Robert Junk and Tobias Gilk spoke at the annual meeting of the Missouri Hospital Association. The presentation was on the physical and operational hazards in all MRI suites and how the design of the suite can improve safety and patient throughput.

We were very pleased to be able to award a complimentary in-office MRI Suite Safety Audit to one lucky attendee, Mr. Neil Immegart of Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital! Congratulations to Neil, and a very gracious "thank you" to all of the other attendees.

Thank you to MSHFM for sponsoring our presentation!

Upcoming Features to Watch For

Stay connected and watch for upcoming articles on subjects that will help improve your facility's performance in patient care, safety and on the bottom line!

Ten questions to ask your MRI architect.
What does it take to implement the ACR 4-Zone protocol?
Will insurance companies charge higher premiums for unsafe facilities?
Why upgrading to 3.0 T is so much more than a 'swap.'
Square pegs - Round holes: How to retrofit a MRI into an existing building.
Safety vs. The Bottom Line? Why it pays to be safe.
Interventional MRI, is it the next big revenue stream for imaging centers?

Use these articles to keep up on the latest news, standards and trends in MRI facilities.

Share the Love - Share the News

Know of someone who you think would like to receive this newsletter? Let us know and we'll invite them, on your behalf. Of course, you're always welcome to refer yourself!

Click to Invite a friend

Our responsibility to you, our reader, is to bring you the news on MRI facility planning and safety that simply isn't available from any other source. This information will enable you to obtain better images, provide better patient care, create safer environments for patients and staff, and improve the financial performance of your facility. We also strive to provide you with ways you can make an immediate impact as well as long-term tools to improve your facility.

An Important Change On The Horizon

We are finalizing the new subscription rate structure, but it will be based upon an individual subscription rate of $80 per year. For those who sign up before the first of the year, we will take 25% off the subscription rate, making the annual subscription only $60!

For our corporate / system members, we will have site rates (making the newsletter available to everyone at a single facility or throughout a system). Please contact us for details.

And for non-profit professional organizations, we will offer a steeply discounted subscription rate when you adopt the MRI-Newsletter as one of your organization's membership benefits!

Even at the full individual rate, if the information in the newsletter allows you to scan only one additional patient next year, it has paid for itself several times over! Avoid a single service-interrupting accident, and you've saved enough to pass your subscription along to your great-grandchildren!

We have been very pleased with the warm reception we've received to our proposed subscription structure and we will strive to keep the costs down so that subscription rates stay low. Even though a year's subscription to the newsletter is worth more than $80, the greatest value is in getting this information into your hands!

We expect to have our online subscription tool in place for the December issue of the MRI Newsletter.

Junk Architects, PC
Create. Experience.

802 Broadway - 5th Floor - Kansas City, MO 64105 - tel: 816-472-7722 - fax: 816-472-1822
www.JunkArchitects.com

Junk Architects is proud to offer the MRI Newsletter and its contents with a 'Creative Commons' license. Under the terms of this license, any single article published in the newsletter may be reproduced by any individual or non-profit organization for in-house non-commercial use, provided it is reproduced in its entirety, follows the time-restriction described below, is not distributed or made publicly available to those outside the organization, and is attributed both to the author(s) and to the source, www.MRI-Planning.com
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