The first part of our two-part series on point-of-care CT scanners will address the benefits as well as disadvantages of incorporating the machines into otolaryngology practices. Part 2 will survey the accreditation and financial conflict of interest issues regarding this technology.
Always a Convenience?
You need a CT scan.
Those words, recalled rhinologist Michael Sillers, MD, past president of the American Rhinologic Society, were apt to provoke a long face from patients at the large University of Alabama multispecialty practice where he worked for 11 years. Because he cared for patients with complicated rhinologic problems, CT was an integral part of my practice, but I was dependent on scheduling and available time slots. When you add precertification requirements, it was kind of a quagmire. That meant scheduling delays and often an additional office visit to review results and obtain a diagnosis. When Dr. Sillers opened the Alabama Nasal and Sinus Center in Birmingham two and a half years ago, one of his first investments was an ENT-specific CT scanner. The patient acceptance and satisfaction, he reported, have been phenomenal.
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