Dr. John F. Feller, Medical Director

 

Excellence in MR Imaging

 

Desert Medical Imaging

Palm Springs, CA

 

In the Coachella Valley, California, you’ll find a medical imaging center that’s built its reputation on being open and friendly.  This Palm Springs facility welcomes patients from all over Southern California, many of whom trek long distances just to be imaged there.

 

So what does Desert Medical Imaging have that draws such interest?  A man with a vision and some of the very latest technology.

 

Finding the answer

Dr. John Feller, Medical Director and Co-owner of Desert Medical Imaging, has been working with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems for over 20 years.  He’s seen firsthand the dramatic evolution of the technology, yet his personal goal has remained unchanged – to deliver exceptional imaging quality while assuring patient comfort.

 

Until recently this goal seemed out of reach.  Traditional closed MRI systems deliver outstanding image quality, but the tight cylindrical ‘bore’ frightens many prospective patients.  “Psychologically, a closed system looks more confining, especially for patients who have claustrophobia,” says Dr. Feller. 

 

For the last 15 months, Dr. Feller’s customers have enjoyed the latest in ‘open’ MRI technology – the Philips Panorama High-Field Open (HFO) system.  Instead of the typical cylinder shape, the Panorama HFO has almost 360^o of open space.  His customers find this openness inviting and referring doctors get the image quality they require.  

 

Accommodating most everyone

With a closed MRI system it’s often hit or miss.  Dr. Feller explains, “Generally what happens is the patient stands in the doorway and looks at the scanner and tells you whether or not they’re going to get into it.  With the Panorama HFO they say, ‘Yes, I can handle that.’  In fact, in our experience, we’ve not had a single patient that we could not comfortably fit inside the Panorama HFO.”

 

 

There are many types of patients who benefit from the wide open architecture:

 

• Bariatric (obese) patients
• Geriatric (older) patients
• Pediatric (younger) patients
• Physically deformed patients
• Claustrophobic patients

 

There are even specific exams like breast exams and orthopedic exams where patients must be positioned with an arm or leg bent in a certain way, something that cannot be accomplished in a closed system.

 

And there are special, emotional benefits that Dr. Feller notices. “With pediatric or elderly patients, a parent or spouse can sit in the room and have eye contact.  They may even hold hands.  For small infants, we’ll actually have the mother lie on the table right next to the baby during the examination, something unheard of in a closed system.”

 

Knocking at the door

“Because of its comfort and open architecture, we can market the Panorama HFO directly to the patient,” notes Dr. Feller, “and because the image quality is so good, we can market it to our referring doctors as well.”

 

With that unique selling proposition, Dr. Feller has been able to contract with several of the large Southern California insurance carriers who now send all of their physically challenging patients to Desert Medical Imaging.  His vision of satisfying both patient and doctor is being realized.

 

“Coming from someone who has driven all different types of MR machines, I can say the Panorama HFO is literally as good as it gets.  It’s optimal for patient comfort and delivers exceptional image quality - that’s good for the patient and good for the doctor.”

 

- November 2007

 

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