BY ROBERT MCFARLAND, JR.
Delta Business Journal

    To most people you talk to, the term "MRI" will be unfamiliar to them. However, to professionals in the health care community and to many patients suffering from a variety of health problems such as those of the neck, hip and leg, MRI means Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the development of this technology means everything in the practice of medicine.
    MRI machines are valuable diagnostic tools that aid in the investigation of many diagnoses. When clear visualization of the pathologic anatomy is crucial, MRI technology is  the premiere method of determining sensitive diagnosis. This technology has come a long way in a short time. If you have seen a big "tube"    eÓ that patients are placed in, this is a form of MRI technology. Now, this high-quality technology is offered in what is called an "open" MRI unit.  With this new machine, there is no "closed tunnel" that an individual must be placed in.  The patient is placed on an extra wide table which slides under the arm of the machine. Most any claustrophobia that patients might experience in a closed tunnel situation is eliminates with the open unit.  Both units offer high quality resolution and both units are valuable tools to physicians.
    One business that saw a need for an open unit in the Delta is Diagnostic Imaging, L.L.C., of Greenville. Approaching its one-year anniversary date,, Diagnostic Imaging is moving forward quickly. In just under a year, the facility h    as seen over 1,600 patients and not only are Deltans coming to Diagnostic Imaging. The facility is finding that people from around the state, Southeast Arkansas and Northeastern Louisiana are coming to Greenville to use their services.
    "We are actually finding that the patient volume is double the number we had projected after this time," says Jana Clark, executive director Diagnostic Imaging. "Open MRI is a choice. Twenty percent of the patient population who require MRI are claustrophobic or have a weight restriction. Open MRI is perfect for those patients. We have recently extended hours to offer evening hours two nights a week to accommodate patients who prefer to come after the traditional working hours."
 Several members of the group who were instrumental in starting Diagnostic Imaging are physicians who use MRI frequently and wanted to have this technology readily accessible and have control over the quality and turn around time on reports. Accessibility and rapid turn-around time on reports is often critical in diagnosing and treating medical problems. Quick turn-around time allows referring physicians to get a jump-start on diagnosing and treating their patients in order that they may quickly resume their normal lifestyle. Diagnostic Imaging provides a 24 hour turn around time on written reports and a guaranteed turn around time of 48 hours on typed, faxed report.
    "We are finding more and more each day that our facility is helping a lot of people by saving them a trip to Memphis, Jackson or Little Rock for a MRI," says Clark. "We are happy to be able to bring this specialized diagnostic service to the Delta."