Digital mammography installed at Summit Healthplex

No appointment needed; walk-in testing to begin Feb. 13

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will begin offering digital mammograms on a walk-in basis to patients at its Summit Healthplex outpatient center on Monday, Feb. 13.

The new mammography system was installed last week as part of a $400,000 building renovation and technology upgrade project at the Williams Road facility. Calibration and training are currently under way and will be completed in the next several days.

"As the county's leader in women's health care, we're pleased to be able to offer this enhanced level of care without the need to phone ahead for an appointment," Memorial President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo said. "This new system will allow for shorter exams compared to analog mammography while delivering higher quality images and quicker results."

The new mammography suite features a state-of-the-art, full field digital system with a computer aided detection program, a dedicated workstation for image display and interpretation, and a digital picture archiving and communication system.

"In addition, it uses technology that will lower the radiation dose, enhance our physicians' image interpretation capabilities and reduce the need for retesting," Ruffolo said.

Additional Summit Healthplex improvements include new changing rooms that afford increased comfort and privacy to women receiving mammograms. A redesigned outpatient registration area is currently under construction.

The Summit Healthplex outpatient service center also offers laboratory, echocardiography, X-ray, CT scanning and MRI testing, as well as physical therapy, sports medicine and primary care services.

Walk-in digital mammograms will be available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Patients are reminded to bring a prescription from their physician ordering the exam.

For additional information, call 298-5872.