Mary Stutts, RTR(M), program coordinator,
lays a MammoPad onto the plate for softer
mammograms.
Danielle Lambuth, RTR(M), explains
bone density screening to a patient.
Phillip Blalock, MD, radiologist,
reads mammograms as soon as they
are processed.
Filling a need efciently
Te new facility was opened in re-
sponse to a focus group study conducted
last summer in Beaufort and Blufton.
An overwhelming number of women who
participated in the study said they wanted
high-quality care delivered with sensitivity
and compassion in a convenient and pleas-
ant environment.
“Tey weren’t just asking for a larger
building or more technology,” says Pat
Foulger, RN, Vice President for Quality
Services. “Tey wanted to know they were
working with a team of professionals
whose goal is the best patient outcome.”
Hospital administrators assembled a
team of medical professionals to study
how operations could serve women better.
Te team visited hospitals with successful
breast health programs and conducted in-
terviews with patients, physicians and staf
over a period of a year.
“When we started talking to our doc-
tors, we realized we had some work to do
on the operations side, as well as on the
facilities side,” Foulger says. “Tey were
all for having a pleasant environment for
Beaufort Memorial doctors and staf take a team
approach to addressing breast health. Radiologists
Phillip Blalock, MD; Andy Jackson, MD; and Eric
Billig, MD, staf the Women’s Imaging Center,
reading and interpreting results as soon as the
scans are done. If they fnd something suspicious, they
will call the referring doctor to decide possible next steps before meeting
with the patient and Breast Care Coordinator Ronda O’Connell, RN.
Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists are also very involved with the care plan if an abnormal-
ity needs to be addressed surgically. Majd Chahin, MD, and James McNab, MD, at the Keyserling
Cancer Center have worked closely with the Women’s Imaging Center to develop the treatment
protocols. Teir ultimate goal is the best outcome for the patient.
We’re with
you every step
of the way
Here’s how services at the
new Women’s Imaging Center
work:
After meeting with her
physician, a woman schedules
her next mammogram appoint-
ment by calling
843-522-5015
.
She can also save time by
completing and submitting the
online preregistration form at
www.bmhsc.org
. On the day
of the appointment, she will
confrm her registration at the
Women’s Imaging Center adja-
cent to the hospital and take a
seat in the waiting area.
A mammography techni-
cian will direct her to a private
changing room where she will
undress, hang up her clothes
and change into a cloth cape.
A second door in the room
leads to the examination area.
After taking the digi-
tal mammogram using a
MammoPad, the technologist
will process the images. If the
doctor also ordered a bone
scan, the technician can per-
form it following the mammo-
gram. After that, the patient
will be free to get dressed and
return to the waiting room for
a cup of tea or cofee.
If the mammogram is clear,
the technologist will come
out to the waiting room and
let the patient know the
results. Her doctor will be
notified as well.
In the event the radiologist
finds an abnormality, he will
contact the doctor immedi-
ately to discuss further diag-
nostic testing. The patient will
have the option to return at a
later date for the test or have
it done on the spot. Breast
Care Coordinator Ronda
O’Connell, RN, will be on
hand to answer any questions
the patient may have.
women to receive ser-
vices, but they wanted to make
sure that the follow-up care was well-
thought-out and coordinated with the
doctor and patient in a timely manner.”
Working closely with the physicians who
refer patients to the center, administrators
developed protocols to cover the entire pro-
cess of care, from the initial examination
to follow-up testing and treatment should a
mammogram reveal an abnormality.
“Our goal is to provide the best care
possible with the utmost sensitivity to
the women who use our services,” Chief
Mammography Technologist Mary Stutts,
RTR(M), says. “Many of these women be-
come our friends over time, and our goal is
to foster that relationship. Te way the new
center is designed and the processes we
have put into place will help us do that.”
Experts at your service
Doctor Referral Service: 888-522-5585 • Health Scene
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