UPMC Chautauqua is planning a $3.5 million upgrade of its Imaging department.
UPMC Chautauqua Director of Imaging Services Tammara Hodges said the department began to evaluate a year ago to rebuild the department to accommodate new equipment and make patient flow more efficient for patients and staff, “We were at point of time where the current department was over 40 years old, so it was time. It was time to take a look to see what needed to be changed, what changes come with technology, with footprints of scanners, and all kinds of different imaging equipment.”
Hodges said the department is in the third phase of the project and is just waiting for the certificate of need to be approved by Albany. They anticipate the renovation will start the fourth quarter of this year.
Hodges said some of the new equipment is in the mammography area including an upgraded artificial intelligence called 3D Quorum which is most advanced technology for mammography. She said smart curve paddles have also been added, “They’re proven to deliver a more comfortable mammogram. They’re shaped like a breast and, I know from my own experience, nobody looks forward to going into mammography. So this makes it a lot more comfortable for women and males. Males have mammograms as well. And it mirrors the shape of a woman’s breast so it reduces pinching and allows for uniform compression.”
Hodges said the hospital has invested $22 million into new technologies, making the facility a place local residents can receive quality and technologically advanced care. The project is being funded internally by UPMC.
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