MRI

What is it?
 
MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a safe, painless way for your Physician to look at the soft tissues inside your body. The pictures created during the exam provide detailed diagnostic information that can improve your Physician’s diagnosis. This exam uses radio waves and a magnetic field to create soft tissue images of the body part being scanned. An MRI can also provide much more detailed information than x-ray films, without the radiation of x-ray. These images are then sent to our Radiologist for review. After the Radiologist interprets these images, we receive a detailed report of your injury or condition for your Physician to correlate with the clinical exam as well.

Non-Claustrophobic

Our MRI unit is a state-of-the-art open scanner, which can virtually eliminate the claustrophobia associated with traditional MRIs. With our unit, the sides and ends are open. It is specifically designed to ease your claustrophobia. It is one of the most comfortable and least confining MRI systems available.

Your MRI exam

You can eat, drink, and take regularly prescribed medications prior to your exam. If you will be having a lower extremity exam, you can bring some shorts without any metal on them to wear. We also have shorts available in our office for you. We also provide gowns for our upper extremity MRI's.
You will be asked to remove your watch, credit cards, jewelry, keys, and/or hearing aid before approaching the MRI room. We also ask that you power off your cell phone and any other electronic items you have with you. All these items can affect our magnet and the images it produces.
The MRI exam will take approximately 45-60 minutes. Your results will generally be available within about a week. Please ask your Physician or Technician if you need to schedule a follow up appointment to review your results.
Contra-indications to having an MRI include cardiac pacemaker, stents, pregnancy, aneurysm clips, etc... Please notify your Technician immediately if you have any of these conditions. However, there is a complete list of contra-indications on the screening questionaire you will fill out prior to scheduling your MRI.

Stark Notification

The landmark healthcare reform bill that was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Act"), sets forth changes that will be implemented at various times over the next decade. Section 6003 of the Act amends the physician self-referral prohibition (known as Stark Law) and is currently effective. This provision requires physicians who furnish MRI, CT, or PET tests within their practices for their patients to provide a written disclosure. Bellevue Bone & Joint Physicians are proud to disclose the following:

      1.  All of the orthpedic surgeons at Bellevue Bone & Joint Physicians are members of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, (AAOS) which holds its members to extremely high ethical standards to ensure that even the appearance of a conflict of interest does not jeopardize the trust that patients place in our doctors. AAOS has adopted Standards of Professionalism that require orthopedic surgeon members to identify and disclose potential conflicts of interest to their patients, the public, and colleagues. These Standards also clearly articulate how and under what circumstances AAOS members may work with and be compensated by industry, as well as the penalties for failure to comply. You can learn more about these Standards of Professionalism at the AAOS website: http://www.aaos.org/industryrelationships.

      2.  Bellevue Bone & Joint Physicians furnish MRI imaging studies and physical therapy services. We frequently refer patients to other providers of these services. Any patient may choose to have a different provider of MRI and/or Physical Therapy services should they desire this referral. A parial list of alternative providers of MRI and physical therapy services is available at our office.

Serving the Greater Eastside and Seattle areas