Two Diversified Radiology Doctors Nominated for 2011 Physician of the Year

Congratulations to Steven Gunberg, DO and Jerome Schroeder, MD, who received nominations from peers to win the Exempla St. Joseph Hospital 2011 Physician of the Year Award!

Physicians are nominated based on their dedication to the mission and vision of the hospital, their dedication to advancing evidence-based medicine and their ability to form effective partnerships with other members of the care team, among other traits.

Nominations are presented to the Medical Executive Committee, which selects the winner.  The 2011 Physician of the Year Award winner will be announced at the 2011 ESJH Medical Staff Meeting and Dinner, to be held on Feb. 4.  Best of luck to you both!!

Click here to see all of the doctors who were nominated for the award.

Testimonial from a St. Joseph Hospital Patient

Below is the text from a Thank You note left for our own Andrew Meade, MD.  Way to go Dr. Meade!

"Just a brief thank you again for literally saving my life.  The stage-one cancer you found via MRI was caught and removed!  Further testing on the tumor proved [it] to be early enough that chemo was not needed!!  It was so fortunate to have you working to review my MRI and to go back into my Mammography history; your instincts were spot on!" - From a St. Joseph Hospital patient.

We are so glad that your tumor was found, removed and you are able to easily move on with your life!  Congratulations!  Thank you for trusting St. Joseph Hospital and the radiologists at Diversified Radiology.

Click here to read all of St. Joe's Dr. Kudos for January.

Dr. Jerome Schroeder is Featured on 9NEWS!

It's the 9th of the month, so 9NEWS is promoting Buddy Check 9.  Today they teamed up with The Breast Care Center at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital, where Dr. Schroeder is the Medical Director of Imaging.  Take a look at the story here: http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=241026.  Keep up the great work, Dr. Schroeder! 

Testimonial from St. Vincent Hospital

"Our partnership with Diversified Radiology of Colorado began in the spring of 2008.  Making the decision to outsource all of our radiology interpretations was a big step for St. Vincent Hospital and one that came after much thought and research.

Since the beginning, our decision has had a positive impact on our hospital and the community we serve.  Diversified has worked hard to meet our radiology needs and the needs of our physicians.  Their doctor’s interpretations are highly specialized, accurate and quite timely.

Their staff has also worked very hard to assist our staff in the transition and on-going day-to-day operations of our radiology department.  I fully recommend the physicians and staff of Diversified Radiology.  They bring quality and value to our facility."

From all of us at Diversified Radiology, your kind words are very much appreciated.  Our partnership with St. Vincent Hospital is important and valuable.  We are proud to be part of the Leadville community!

Testimonial from Urgent Care at Miramont

"All of the staff at the Urgent Care at Miramont in Ft. Collins want to acknowledge your prompt radiology reads!  We are so appreciative.  Keep up the good work!"

Thanks for your kind words.  We strive to be the best so you can be the best!  Our goal is Quality, Service and Satisfaction.

Diversified Radiology of Colorado’s service is enhanced with the use of Intelerads product, Inteleone.

The radiologists at Diversified Radiology of Colorado sub specialize in neuro, msk, body, pediatric, women’s and interventional imaging.  By using the Inteleone solution from Intelerad we are able to enhance patient care by delivering our radiology expertise to our medical partners with seamless efficiency.  To read the entire story or to view the video of our Chief Executive Officer, Kip McMillan click here.

Breast Cancer Screenings are Threatened by Budget Cuts

Protesters including Dr. Jerome Schroeder-Medical Director of Breast Imaging at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital Breast Care Center-rallied together to oppose the 1.6 million dollar budget cuts that will impact screening mammograms for patients in need.  Watch the Channel 31 News story by clicking here

Diversified Radiology participates in the 2010 Komen Race for The Cure

It’s hard not to notice that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Denver turns itself pink every year in celebration of the increase in awareness of breast cancer.  This years Komen Race for the Cure was a true Celebration of Hope.  A crowd of over 50,000 people gathered at the Pepsi Center on Sunday October 3^rd  2010, to support a cure for breast cancer.  Among the people was a team from Diversified Radiology of Colorado, headed by Captain Kelly Cherne. 

Breast Cancer awareness is a familiar subject at Diversified Radiology.  Not just with the employees, but also with our radiologists.  Our team of sub-specialized Breast Radiologists, focus solely on the imaging and detection of breast disorders. They spend their days reading thousands of mammograms, ultrasounds and MRI’s.  Our radiologists are proud to work closely with surgeons, cancer treatment physicians and non-physician care-givers at various breast centers in Colorado, addressing various breast disorders.  For a list of our facilities click here

Pictured-Front Row (L-R) Danette Padilla, Kelly Cherne-Captain, Sabrina Trujillo. Back Row (L-R) Shiela Patterson, Rita Viveros, Tanya Padilla, Dianna Cortez.  Not Pictured-Amber Storm, Debby Gilman

Diversified Radiology of Colorado is a proud sponsor of the 2010 Kaleidoscope Ball!!

The Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation celebrates it’s first birthday with a bang on Aug., 21, 2010 with the inaugural Kaleidoscope Ball to benefit the new Foundation. Diversified Radiology is proud to be part of this historical event.

Diversified Radiology of Colorado’s partner, The Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children celebrates their Grand Opening this weekend.

Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC), HealthONE’s “pediatric hospital within a hospital,” is marking the grand opening of a campus expansion at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center now through Aug. 22, and will begin treating patients on Aug. 31 in the new facility. Governor Ritter and Mayor Hickenlooper will be on hand to welcome the New Hospital for Children to Denver.

Diversified Radiology of Colorado's subspecialized Pediatric Radiologists are  proud to staff the radiology department and interpret all of the the studies performed at the RMHC.
 

Diversified Radiology of Colorado’s Radiologist emerges from the dark on her fight with Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Jennifer Kemp, is a highly trained radiologist specializing in Body Imaging and a partner at Diversified Radiology of Colorado. With the help of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT), Dr. Kemp has diagnosed thousands of cancers of the rectum and colon.

But 5 years ago Dr. Kemp was dealing with the colon from a new perspective-her husband Nick was diagnosed with Stage III Colorectal Cancer at age 37. Thankfully, Nick underwent radiation, chemotherapy, and 3 complex colorectal surgeries and is now cancer free.

In 2009, to celebrate Nick's progress the Kemp family participated in the Denver Undy 5000. The Undy 5000 is a race sponsored by The Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA). The CCA is the oldest and largest national patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending the suffering caused by colorectal cancer. "Many people don't understand that Colorectal Cancer is nearly100% preventable with proper screening." says Dr. Kemp. Colonoscopy is the gold standard in Colorectal Screening, and is performed by a gastroenterologist. Dr. Kemp is also an advocate of an advancing technology using CT scanning to screen the colon called Virtual Colonoscopy or CT colonography. Early studies show CT is as effective at screening the colon for polyps and cancer as colonoscopy.

Gearing up for the 2009 race the Kemp family raised the most money of any participant in the Denver Undy 5000, but the best part of their experience came at the end of the race. Nick crossed the finish line with his 9 year old son and his Colorectal Surgeon by his side.
Dr. Kemp will once again participate in 2010 race. This year, Dr. Kemp will not only run with her husband and son, but will also run with her friends and colleagues from Rose Medical Center. "This cause is one that is near and dear to my heart, both personally and professionally."

Diversified Radiology of Colorado Tweets!

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DivRadiology

Diversified Radiology of Colorado’s efforts to improve patient care is supported by a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR)

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (http://www.jacr.org/) confirms what Diversified Radiology of Colorado thought regarding the benefit of embedded images in reports for referring clinicians.

A research team from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) of Boston found that clinicians overwhelmingly preferred the added information available from the images. Over 90% of the clinicians felt that their questions were better answered by the enhanced reports.

The InteleOne system, from Intelerad (www.intelerad.com) allows Diversified to export images in a jpeg format and append it to the text in the report.

To read more about this study please click here

Diversified Radiology of Colorado Partners with 12 Radiology Practices to form a National Consortium

Thirteen private practice radiology groups across the U.S. have formed a consortium called Strategic Radiology.

Strategic Radiology plans to share data and clinical practice information among its members, as well as consolidate certain practice expenses. The consortium will expand access to radiology subspecialization within member groups and establish measurable standards for clinical quality

To read more about this click here: http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/display/article/113619/1528706?CID=rss&verify=0

Diverisified Radiology of Colorado Radiologist urges women in the Vail Valley to continue checking for early breast cancer.

A recent article published by the Vail Daily Newspaper is aimed to educate the women of Vail Valley on the importance of continued screening for breast cancer despite the recent announcement by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.  Dr. Janice Ugale, a radiologist at Diversified Radiology of Colorado and the medical director of the Sonnenalp Breast Center at the Shaw Regional Cancer Center in Edwards Colorado, stresses the importance of contiuned self breast exam and annual screening mammography begining at age 40.  To read the entire article please click here http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20091202/NEWS/912019950&parentprofile=search

Dr. Jerome Schroeder’s editorial in response to the recent guidelines issued by the USPSTF regarding the change in screening mammography in women.

Dr. Jerome Schroeder, the Medical Director of Imaging at the Breast Care Center at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital and a partner at Diversified Radiology of Colorado, responds to the recent announcement by the United States Preventative Task Force (USPSTF) regarding a change in screening mammography for women over 40. 

To read Dr. Schroeder's full editorial click here.

To read the condensed editorial click here.

Diversified Radiology of Colorado and The White House Office of Management and Budget are in sync with the importance of quality in health care reform.

The White House Office of Management and Budget highlighted some of the proposed reforms in congress for the Health Care system. Two bullet points dovetail with Diversified Radiology's emphasis on quality interpretations of high quality exams by subspecialty trained radiologists: ACO's and Quality incentives for physicians. The link below discusses these reforms and other initiatives at improving national health care.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/09/10/13/BendingtheCurveinMoreWaysThanOne/

What is the ACR and why do I care?

The ACR or American College of Radiology consists of over 32,000 members.  This is made up by radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians. The purpose of the ACR is to make imaging safe and accessible to patients.

The mission of the ACR is to continually advance the science of radiology; including interventional and nuclear medicine modalities, radiation oncology, and medical physics. This is all done to improve patient care and continually educate fellow medical professionals on the future of radiology.

The radiologists at Diversified Radiology of Colorado are adamant about only reading studies performed at facilities accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Doing so ensures that the imaging techniques meet or exceed quality assurance and safety guidelines. Why is this important? More on that next week...................

How long untill handheld devices are used for patient education?

Recently at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting (SIIM) research was presented on using handheld devices for patient education and image viewing. There are workflow issues that still need to be investigated, but the overall message is that mobile device technology is near a point that it can be used by physicians to educate patients on their health.

Because more than half of the population have been identified as visual learners, having this technology is critical to enhancing patient care. This could help bridge the communication gap that is often present between physicians and patients.

The Radiologists at Diversified are used to keeping up with the ever changing technology in the medical industry. We keep security, image quality and transmission time on the forefront as we make technological advancements to become more efficient for our physician and hospital partners.

Exciting opportunities lie ahead in today's medical field. Who knows, perhaps reading a patients imaging study and communicating to a referring physician on an iPhone won't be to far off in the future.

Summer is here let those legs show!

To some people varicose veins and spider veins are a simply a cosmetic concern, but for others they can often cause pain and discomfort.  With the new medical laser technology there is a way to eliminate your varicose and spider veins without surgery.

Interventional Radiologists are experts in the nonsurgical treatment of varicose veins.  Using the Endovascular Laser Venous System (ELVS) unsightly varicose veins are eliminated in our outpatient office, typically within an hour.  One of the many benefits is there is virtually no down time.  Patients are walking after the procedure, and are able to return to normal activity within a day or two.

Spider veins are a smaller version of a varicose vein.  Most often, people who have spider veins do not have any kind of symptoms.  Spider veins are easily treated by our Interventional Radiologists in a matter of minutes.  There are very few side effects and risks associated with these procedures.

Time for a change, The NY Times reports

The New York Times reported on the new model of healthcare that UnitedHealth Group is testing in a handful of states including Colorado. This plan gives patients what they call a medical “home” that oversees their care even when the patient is seen by specialists or requires hospitalization. The medical home model is intended to fix some of the major shortcomings of healthcare delivery in the United States and according to Dr. Jim Dearing of Phoenix, AZ, “This gives us the opportunity to create a model to allow family physicians to practice medicine the way we used to practice in the past.”

“Subspecialization adds value to the patient’s medical care,” adds Sean Bryant, MD of Diversified Radiology headquartered in Denver, CO which provides specialized radiography reading services to healthcare facilities in the metro area and continents away.

Today’s medical insurers typically reward doctors for how many tests or procedures they perform on the patient vs. how effective their care is. The general physician isn’t compensated for helping patients navigate specialists or follow-up care. Using the home care model, UnitedHealth has said it will compensate physicians with a quarterly management fee for overseeing their patients’ care plus bonuses will be awarded based on patient satisfaction, especially when that monitoring prevents costly and unnecessary hospital stays.

The facts of life: The bees and the specialists

When it comes to one's health, most patients entrust the management of their care to a highly trained medical doctor. On occasion, particularly when the patient's needs demand it, that doctor is a specialist. Trained in all the same basics as generalist physicians, the specialist has invested additional years into specifically studying particular body parts or functions.

The benefit of having a specialist (sometimes called a sub specialist) involved in your medical care is the additional years of study and practice that the specialist brings to the consultation.

It's not so different than the specialization practiced by bees in a study recently conducted by Jaime Pawelek, a distinguished UC Berkeley Researcher. That study concluded that bees can be separated into two categories of female pollen preferences, either specialists or generalists. Specialist bees tap into the pollen in a few or even just one plant species. Generalist bees, on the other hand, are less picky about the flowers they visit.

Diversified Radiology employs dozens of specialist radiologists in multiple fields including Breast Imaging Radiologists, Body Imaging Radiologists, Interventional Radiologists, Musculoskeletal Radiologists, Neuro Radiologists, Nuclear Medicine Radiologists, and Pediatric Radiologists. These experts read and interpret only the X-rays and imaging procedures for which they trained 100% of the time. The benefit of having the various experts on board means that treating doctors are able to be more acutely accurate in their prescribed treatments.