In January of this year, Monida Shared Imaging added a second mobile MRI Unit to serve more rural Montana communities. The new magnetic resonance imaging scanner is a state-of-the-art GE 1.5 Tesla Signa Voyager.

Monida Shared Imaging is a shared-service joint venture between three hospitals – Clark Fork Hospital in Plains, Mineral Community Hospital in Superior, and St. Luke Community Healthcare Network in Ronan. They are affiliated through the Monida Healthcare Network, a regional association of hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers. They contract with BP Consulting, a company that operates several mobile scanners in the western United States, to provide daily operational support.

By sharing this service, these hospitals don’t each have to purchase their own, and together are able to purchase equipment that individually would be cost prohibitive. Through this effort, residents of the communities served by the MRI scanners, which have now expanded as far as Cut Bank, have gained local access to the same technology available in large, metropolitan communities.

Capable of acquiring diagnostic information significantly faster than other MRI systems, these scanners enable physicians to improve the diagnosis of a wide range of conditions, including cardiac and vascular disease; stroke; abdominal and brain disorders; and musculoskeletal conditions in the knee, shoulder and other joints. It is more comfortable for patients, especially those who have difficulty holding their breath.

MRI utilizes computers and magnetic fields, rather than radiation, to provide safe and non-invasive images of the human anatomy. It is estimated that more than 20 million MRI exams are performed each year in the United States. It is the primary imaging technology for diagnosing muscular, joint, nerve, and stroke disorders. Unlike CT scanners, which each of the hospitals own and use for emergencies such as trauma patients, most MRI scans are non-emergent and can be scheduled when the mobile scanner makes its weekly rounds.