A Relaxing Scan

Genesis Imaging Center in Bettendorf offers technology with a calming twist

BETTENDORF, Iowa - Anxious about an upcoming diagnostic test? How about listening to calming music and gazing into a starry night sky while undergoing your CT scan or MRI?

Starscapes that give mesmerizing views from the ceiling are among the amenities offered at the Genesis Imaging Center in Bettendorf, where patients have access to the latest diagnostic technology in a convenient, outpatient setting.

The Genesis Imaging Center was part of a $6.6 million construction and renovation project completed in 2004 at Genesis Medical Park, 4017 Devils Glen Road.

Unique technology there is helping to calm the nerves of patients undergoing CT scans and MRIs. Two StarDomes Architectural Starfields on the ceilings of the center’s MRI and CT scan rooms transition from tranquil views of twinkling stars and a daytime sky. The domes attach to the ceiling like a light fixture and were created by Numinus LLC, maker of fiberoptic starfields.

“Many of our patients are anxious about their test results. They really appreciate the distraction and find the ceiling scenery to be very calming,” said Diana Kent, Lead CT Technologist at the Genesis Imaging Center.

To offer a StarDome suitable for an MRI room, Numinus had to provide a product with no incandescent dimming. The end result is one that uses no electricity in the MRI room of the Genesis Imaging Center. Both the stars and cove light use only fiberoptics to transmit their light.

Health services in Bettendorf

The Genesis Imaging Center offers ultrasound in addition to CT (computerized tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology. Also located there is a satellite office of the Genesis Center for Breast Health, where patients have access to the same state-of-the-art mammography and bone densitometer equipment offered at the center’s main facility on the campus of Genesis Medical Center, East Rusholme Street.

“We want people in the Bettendorf area to know that we offer the same state-of-the-art technology that can be found at our two Genesis hospital campuses in Davenport,” Kent said. “We can virtually duplicate the same type of imaging technology and techniques used in our hospital setting at the Bettendorf location.”

Joan DeVries, who lives in northwest Davenport, found it was worth the extra drive to go to the center in Bettendorf. “The staff takes care of you promptly and are all just so helpful and nice. I was having problems with my back, so it was important to know I wasn’t going to be sitting a long time. The staff there knows how to make things happen as quick and painless as possible.”

The outpatient center is part of the health system’s first-in-the Quad Cities’ Picture Archiving and Communication System, or PACS. PACS electronically stores and retrieves radiology images, making them available to clinicians instantaneously at multiple locations by a personal computer.

“Images go into this advanced system and are read by the same radiologists who read at the hospital,” Kent added. “It’s all part of Genesis’ integrated system of care.”

Fewer delays, more privacy

Additionally, the Genesis Imaging Center is a convenient alternative location for patients’ post-treatment and posthospitalization exams. “Because the Genesis Imaging Center is designed for outpatient needs, patients enjoy more privacy, more one-on-one interaction with staff, and fewer unexpected delays than at a hospital where an acute-care patient with emergent needs or a trauma patient can create  scheduling delays,” said Ted Rogalski, Director of Neuroscience and Radiology, at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport.

Genesis Medical Park in Bettendorf also features an expanded FirstMed urgent care center, an expanded office of Genesis Health Group, Family Medical Center, and a renovated Bettendorf Pediatric and Family Practice Associates. The $8.3 million Bettendorf Family YMCA also is located nearby. Inside the Y, the 12,000-square-foot Genesis Wellness Center provides cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation activities.

To schedule an appointment at the Genesis Imaging Center, call 421-1020. People with questions, may also call the front desk at 421-3760.

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