Experienced specialist can make all the difference. Learn more about the kind of experience your specialist should have.
While new technologies allow Imaging Facilities to outsource reading of the images to another state and even over seas to save cost, it does not benefit you.
If the answer is less than 500 in the past year, then DO NOT GO THERE.. Some Doctors and Imaging Facilities will tell you they have 20 to 30 years experience, which only may mean that they do one every month or so. That is not the kind of experience you deserve, and the Arthrogram can be significantly more painful for you.
If the Arthrogram is performed by one Doctor and the CT or MRI study is interpreted by another then valuable information concerning your condition is lost. DO NOT GO THERE.. It can be more cost effective for Doctors and Imaging Facilities to split up these studies, but sometimes important details are lost. Only got to a facility where the Arthrogram and CT or MRI studies are interpreted by the same doctor.
If your Doctor has interpreted less than 1200 CT or MRI studies of the joints in the past year, then DO NOT GO THERE.. When the Doctor and the Imaging Facility tell you that they are the best for you, and that they had years of quality experience, that experience may be spread out over dozens of Doctors over dozens of years, and each Doctor can have much less person experience.
If the answer is yes, then DO NOT GO THERE..This is a big mistake for you, but can be cost effective for some facilities to send these studies out of State. If your Doctor who asked for the study has questions about the study or report, it will be difficult to get any response from the Doctors who may be thousands or tens of thousands of miles away. And you may be compromising your legal rights. If there is any problem with the studies or interpretations, do you think the Doctor from out of State will come here to help you? Saving money for someone else is not worth it to you.
If you are having an Arthrogram and the Doctor is poking you several times, or using multiple needles, or takes more than 10 minutes, or asks for help from another Doctor, then STOP RIGHT THERE AND LEAVE. Make sure you take your Doctor's order for the Studies with you when you leave, and call another Doctor or facility to do your study. A poorly performed or interpreted study is worse than no study at all!
