Amidst a host of expansion projects taking place at St. George Medical Clinic, a radiology department was recently introduced.
Open for about a month, the radiology department at St. George is able to take x-ray scans for out patient procedures like pre-surgery exams or chronic pain.
Stephanie Pifer is the radiology technician tasked with leading the program at St. George.
Using the brand new Toshiba x-ray unit, Pifer see patients daily. “Within seconds of taking the x-ray exposure I can see the images through the quality assurance check, and I can digitally enhance the images,” Pifer said.
Once the images are gathered at St. George, they are sent to Radiological Physician Associates Inc. in Fairmont. This group of radiologists is able to read the incoming scans and provide official results within a half hour.
Tygart Valley Orthopedics physicians will also practice at St. George bi-monthly. When those physicians are not physically at the St. George campus, they can remotely access x-rays of injured patients that require a referral to an orthopedic doctor.
This ensures a streamlined referral service. Patients can then choose to schedule initial or follow-up appointments with Tygart Valley physicians at St. George, rather than driving to Elkins. “This really offers a lot of convenience and flexibility for our patients,” Pifer said.
In addition to the radiology department, the medical clinic’s location in St. George is undergoing construction to expand the building’s offerings. When complete in April, the expansion will add four new exam rooms and a behavioral health department.
The new exam rooms will house Tygart Valley Orthopedics physicians, as well as a cardiology group, Mon General Heart and Vascular Center, that will also see patients at the clinic.
Pifer commented that the physicians at St. George are seeing about two to three exams a day. When the Tygart Valley physicians begin on April 13, Pifer predicts that number will jump substantially.