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House HEW committee visits Precision Medical Imaging
The House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare visited and toured the facility at Precision Medical Imaging on Middle Road, Garapan last Friday. Committee chair Rep. Felicidad T. Ogumoro, vice chair Rep. Francis S. Taimanao, Reps. Angel A. Demapan, Edwin K. Propst, and Glenn L. Maratita received an overview briefing and site tour by PMI executive Dino Manning.
Every year, the Commonwealth government overruns its expenditure on its Medical Referral Services program due to the lack of specialized medical expertise, equipment and facilities. A significant portion of patient referrals to off-island facilities are for purposes of computerized tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging services.
Members of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare are given a tour of Precision Medical Imaging’s equipment by PMI executive Dino Manning. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
The HEW committee was very impressed with PMI’s high-grade equipment, professional staff, and most importantly, its established network with off-island radiology partners who provide a quick and accurate turnaround of scan results. In fact, the committee was pleased to learn that in urgent cases, PMI has the ability to get back scan results in at least two hours.
PMI’s 128-slice CT scanner, the only one on the island, is a non-invasive diagnostic machine that can detect tumors, cancers or coronary heart disease by producing sharp, three-dimensional, cross-sectional images of the body. The facility is also equipped to produce 4D sonograms and digital mammograms. During the visit, PMI informed the Committee that they are close to bringing in an MRI machine.
The committee would like PMI to meet with the Medical Referral Services office to discuss available options that may help alleviate the costs borne by the government for patient referrals sent to Guam solely for CT and MRI scans.
“The HEW Committee is grateful for the opportunity to see first-hand the facility and services offered by PMI,” said Ogumoro. “Our people deserve on-island access to quality and cost-effective healthcare services like radiology so we can reduce or eliminate costs associated with referring patients to off-island facilities.”
