The LTC Advantage: In-Room Imaging with 360 ° Quality ​

Ultrasound technology has come a long way since its introduction to medicine in 1942. From the towering, eight-foot-tall static scanners, the tools have advanced, shrunk, evolved and branched out into a variety of available options that serve a much-needed array of purposes for LTC partners.

The laptop-like machines used by New Frontier’s sonographers are a direct evolution from those original machines, benefitting from dramatic advancements in both portability (size) and quality of imaging.

With portable imagery services like New Frontiers’, certified sonographers come directly to the point of care, using hospital-quality technology to capture a complete diagnostic study that is interpreted by top cardiologist and radiologist partners, giving LTC providers access to an on-demand, specialized diagnostic team they can rely on for their patients’ care.

The benefits of partnering with a portable diagnostic ultrasound provider range from patient and staff satisfaction, reduced risk of transport, and reduced time to definitive courses of treatment.

Here’s a breakdown:

1) Reduce Inherent Risks of Patient Transport:

Portable ultrasound services provide “homebound” (i.e. assisted living/long-term care) patients the opportunity to stay in familiar surroundings, while effectively eliminating the risk and expense associated with patient transportation. During COVID-19, this is an increasingly important benefit.

Transporting a patient to a hospital or specialty clinic like a radiology center increases the chances of exposing them to a virus, the risk rising exponentially with each person, vehicle, and surface encountered.

Point-of-care services, such as portable ultrasound diagnostics, provide a way for care facilities to exercise control over exposure to the virus. By bringing tools and specialists into the care facility, rather than taking patients out into an uncontrolled environment, staff can limit the environment around the patient to clean surfaces and knowledgeable healthcare personnel using proper infection control.

2) Empower LTC Staff and Increase Client Satisfaction

According to Eleanor Feldman Barbera, a New York-based psychologist specializing in long-term care, there’s a direct correlation between the quality of care provided to residents in long term care facilities, and the satisfaction of staff.

Ashvin Gandhi, Ph.D., assistant professor at UCLA says “Higher-rated facilities tend to have lower turnover rates… Lower-quality facilities may induce staff to separate more frequently. They may choose to leave facilities that are low quality specifically for the reasons that make them low-quality.”

Staff turnover is plaguing long-term care and nursing home facilities across the country. Increasing the quality of care provided to patients by partnering with specialists that can offer top tier diagnostics in a familiar and safe environment causes staff satisfaction increases in tandem with resident happiness.

3) Shorten Time to Definitive Treatment

According to malpractice claims in the ambulatory care category, failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests has been found to account for 55% of missed or delayed diagnoses, making it the second most common factor contributing to a diagnostic error.

Forming a complementary partnership with a quality diagnostic imaging provider creates a solid foundation for patients’ treatment by providing the care team with thorough images and informative insights, quickening the route to definitive diagnosis and allowing staff to focus on care.

Any chance you’re at the MHCA Annual Convention? Come visit us at booth 523, or drop us a line. We’d love to chat!