WINNEMUCCA - The hospital board's approval of three new pieces of high-tech equipment serves to underscore the cost of healthcare - for providers as well as for patients.
The most expensive of the three pieces of equipment by far, at $657,286, was the Computed Tomography (CT) scanner. A CT scanner uses computer enhancement to produce three-dimensional images of the inside of the body from a large series of two-dimensional X-rays taken around a single axis of rotation. The images are used for diagnostic purposes. Capabilities of the CT scanners are measured in the number of "slices" the machines are capable of producing.
The CT scanner currently in place at HGH was purchased in 2006, less than 10 years ago, which prompted a board member to question, "What's so wrong with what we have now?"
Radiology Director Pam Wickkiser said the scans available from the current machine (10-slice) don't meet "standard of care" guidelines (16 slices). That matters because insurance companies rate healthcare facilities, and being able to provide "standard of care" health services is essential.
The original bid was for a 64-slice CT scanner, though it was noted the machine could be upgraded to 128-slice. The bid was significantly below the budgeted cost, and board members wondered whether it might be better to upgrade to the 128-slice machine.
The board asked Dr. Kurt Kracaw, a long-time Winnemucca physician and director of the Walk-In Clinic, for his opinion.
Kracaw's pragmatic reply was that physicians don't care about the specifications of a machine. He said, "We're just interested in the answer, the diagnosis; if a piece of equipment helps a doctor get a better-defined diagnosis, a more confident diagnosis, that's what matters. Dr. Leonard Perkinson, also in the audience at the board meeting, agreed.
The board voted to approve the 128-slice top of the line scanner, identical to that which Wickkiser said Renown Medical Center in Reno had just purchased.
Wickkiser said in addition to the specialized training that comes from the manufacturer (General Electric) as part of the purchase price of the CT, Renown has agreed to have radiology personnel from HGH come to Reno to learn their trauma protocols for use here.
The company offered a $30,000 trade-in allowance for the old machine, and will be taking care of the task of removing the old machine and putting the new one in place.
The $657,286 total includes the CT scanner, special electrical surge and brown-out protection to extend the life of the $128,000 bulb in the scanner, and remodeling necessary for the room in which the new scanner will be located.
The major electrical upgrade to the hospital, which the board also approved, will have to be completed before the new CT scanner can be put to use. The current power supply is insufficient.
The other two pieces of equipment approved for purchase were a maternal - fetal monitor for the maternity department ($17,988) and an arterial blood gas analyzer for the respiratory therapy department ($13,687). A $1,000 trade-in was allowed for the old analyzer.[[In-content Ad]]
