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Are you at risk for prediabetes?

Understanding portion sizes

TGMC's wound care & hyperbaric unit

Our award-winning imaging center

A medical checklist for adults

A reminder for caregivers

TGMC heroes

Emergency care



TGMC Imaging Department wins national journal's Facility of the Year award

 Photo of the imaging group Chalk up another award for the Radiology and Special Imaging Department at Terrebonne General Medical Center: the title of Imaging Facility of the Year from Advance for Imaging Professionals.

"We know we offer the best imaging services available anywhere, and now everyone else knows too," says Radiology Director Ritchie Dupre. "Having your peers thank you for excellent service is almost as rewarding as having your patients thank you for excellent service."

In an entry essay written for the contest, Dupre explained what makes his workplace special. Terrebonne General's department is "as unique as the culture it is engrossed in," Dupre writes. "But what exactly sets TGMC's imaging team apart from the rest? There are three key components that make this a great synergy: people, technology and support."

Advance for Imaging Professionals is a medical journal with a nationwide subscription base of radiology and medical imaging professionals. In addition to winning the Imaging Facility of the Year honor, the department was also featured on the cover of the publication's November 3, 2003, issue.

Imaging is everything
 New outpatient imaging center offers full range of services, greater convenience

Patient volumes are up, waiting times are down and radiology services are better than ever, thanks to the new Outpatient Imaging Center in the Medical Atrium. "We're now performing up to 1,300 outpatient exams a month. But our average waiting time for CAT scans, our most common procedure, has dropped from two hours to about seven minutes," says Radiology Director Ritchie Dupre. "We've seen a big improvement in patient satisfaction because we're much more efficient."

Inpatient imaging services are still provided in the hospital, so they do not interrupt the outpatient appointment schedule. The Outpatient Imaging Center's new, open MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner is the region's largest open magnet. The larger magnet means faster scan times and higher-quality images. The open scanner also has no sides, giving the patient a sense of freedom. "When we had just the closed MRI, we had to medicate one in every 100 patients," Dupre says. "With the open MRI as an option, we medicate only one in 300 patients. It's more cost-effective and safer." In addition to MRI, the center offers:
  • CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans, which X-ray bones and organs, and "slice" the images to give a detailed view.
  • Ultrasound, which is used for a variety of tests, from checking the health of an unborn baby to finding gallstones to studying plaque buildup in the carotid artery.
  • Image of outpatient servicesComputed radiography, which produces X-rays as images on the computer rather than on film. Computer images can be manipulated, often saving the patient from having to be rescanned; eliminate the problem of lost film; are less expensive than film; and can be viewed by doctors in different locations at once.
With a full range of services and state-of-the-art technology, the new imaging center has prepared the hospital for tomorrow. "CAT and MRI scans are the future of imaging," Dupre says. "Because of the aging of baby boomers, we are going to continue to see more patients — and we're better equipped to do so."

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