New radiologiests arrive

By Tim Trainor - 09/27/2008

Walter Hinick photos / The Montana Standard Dr. David Palmer explains the expanding role radiology is playing in the treatment of patients at St. James Healthcare. He is the new director of radiology and heads the Diagnostic Radiology Specialists group that will staff the hospital's radiology department.

Over the last decade, radiologists have carved out a larger niche in patient care.

So when the entire radiology team departed from St. James Healthcare in Butte last month, it left quite a void.

Enter the Montana Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology Specialists of Helena, which recently signed a three-year contract to provide personnel to St. James.

The company has filled the open positions and is working to handle new services.

Scott Steinfeldt, executive director of the Intermountain Imaging Center, said the new team is providing a "critical, essential component" to patient care.

Intermountain Imaging Center is an outpatient radiology center located in St. James, and was recently put under the auspices of the hospital. The two companies have a cooperative agreement and are "integrated financially and clinically," Steinfeldt said.

Both companies understand the importance of a stable, reliable radiology department.

"A radiologist's value to a hospital is immeasurable," Steinfeldt said.

Since the invention of ultrasounds in the 1980s, radiologists have been charged with providing diagnoses to surgeons, family doctors and patients.

Now that CT scans and MRI machines are located in nearly every hospital in the United States, their expertise is in more demand than ever before.

St. James recently invested in one of the newest technologies, a PET/CT machine. The machine uses whole-body imaging technology and, according to doctors, is an important clinical test for cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders.

Last week, Dr. Tim Certain used the MRI machine to view three-dimensional images of a patient's knee at the St. James' outpatient facility.

The machine has the ability to digitally remove the fat and skin that blocks the view of what Dr. Certain really wants to see "Fat is the enemy," he said.

With that out of the way, he saw crystal clear digital images of the knee.

"Right now I'm looking for possible tears to any tendons and any fluid here," he said, poring over the real-time image.

Dr. Dennis Palmer, a partner in the Helena company working in Butte last week, experiences "seldom a quiet day" in his position, he said.

"They keep us pretty busy," he said.

The rotating crew has two doctors on call at St. James, 24 hours a day.

The company is in the process of purchasing a home in Butte for its employees to stay. It is also making an effort to recruit more doctors who want to live in Butte.

Steinfeldt said he expects to have one hired in October and another next spring.

The hospital offers a women's imaging center, as well, the only one of its kind in southwest Montana.

"There is no reason for any woman to die of breast cancer again, ever," Steinfeldt said.

He said the technology can spot cancerous growths smaller than a needle.

Kevin Dennehy, vice president of strategy and business development at St. James, said the hospital encourages its patients to use the new facilities and the experienced doctors.

"Most people don't know what they have here until they need it," he said. "We're trying to use this new technology to spot trouble before it starts." — Reporter Tim Trainor may be reached via e-mail at tim.trainor@lee.ne.t