May 3, 2007

South Valley Imaging: Making MRIs, CT scans and X-rays easier for patients

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Most people think getting X-rays, MRIs or CT scans and ultrasound imaging is a real hassle. Typically, you make your appointment and when you get there you have to wait what seems like hours before the procedure can be done.

Dr. Benjamin Bak consults a file as he looks at an imaging procedure before making a diagnosis to the patient’s doctor.

That doesn’t happen at South Valley Imaging. The facility was created to offer people south of the peninsula and in Morgan Hill, Gilroy or Hollister, a place for all types of imaging in an area where previously there was little to none available.

And, this clinic is designed to make the process as speedy and painless as possible. It’s designed with its clients in mind. In fact, it offers three receptionists to make it easier for clients to converse and understand what is going on. It also provides plans for patients without insurance so they can get their medical needs met on a cash basis that they can afford.

The brainchild of Dr. Aaron Hayashi and Dr. Benjamin Bak, South Valley Imaging was formed when the two realized there were no non-hospital imaging centers in the area. They opened the independently owned facility in October 2004 and expect by late summer or fall to add digitized X-rays to their imaging portfolio.

State-of-the-art equipment
Their equipment already includes state-of-the-art CT and ultrasound imaging equipment as well as a freestanding MRI that is open on three sides to eliminate the claustrophobia some get in an MRI tube-like machine. The open MRI has another benefit; it allows family members to be in the room with the patient, which is especially important when the patient is a child. It also can accommodate any sized person from very small to quite large.

“Once we were doing an MRI for a patient that had not slept in four days,” said Rick Villegas, office manager. “Most patients don’t fall asleep during an MRI because it’s so noisy. This patient fell so sound asleep we had to wake him [after a couple of hours] so we could take care of the next patient. That’s a really good test for an MRI machine.”

The three radiologists on staff were all trained at UC San Francisco and Stanford. They include Hayashi, who is president, and his two colleagues Bak and Dr. Ravinder Sohal. All three are Diplomates with the American Board of Radiology.

Office manager Rick Villegas shows how easily the open MRI machine works before a patient has a procedure done on his leg. Marge Sentous sits nearby to offer comfort if necessary.

“There was no free-standing imaging in the South County area, nothing in Morgan Hill, Gilroy or Hollister,” said Bak. “So Aaron and I realized we needed to add imaging to help doctors with patients in this area.” South Valley Imaging allows faster radiological examinations so that people don’t have to drive all the way to Palo Alto, the South Bay or San Francisco, even if their doctor is located up there.

The imaging center is open between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., but also will accommodate patients who cannot come in during those times. “Our technical staff adjusts their hours to meet the needs of the patients,” said Marge Sentous, marketing director. That even means coming in on weekends when the office is typically closed, she said.

The three receptionists, Carolina Bravo, who speaks Spanish, Andres Anaya, who speaks sign language and Vee Vo who speaks Vietnamese, all speak English too. But their ability to speak with patients in their own language helps the patients feel more comfortable, says Sentous. They also can explain the procedures to patients who otherwise might not understand what is happening.

Hayashi received his medical training at George Washington University, did his residency in diagnostic radiology at Valley Medical Center, took a fellowship in MRI/CT/US (ultrasound) at UCSF and was a former clinical instructor at the UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital department of radiology.

Bak is a former clinical instructor at UCSF/SFGH departments of Radiology. He received his medical degree from Loma Linda University and took his diagnostic radiology residency at Valley Medical Center and held a fellowship in MRI, CT and ultrasound at UCSF.

Sohal received his medical degree from Tufts University and his residency in diagnostic radiology at Valley Med. He too was a clinical instructor at UCSF/SFGH department of radiology and did a fellowship in MRI, CT and ultrasound at UCSF.

CT, which stands for computer tomography combines X-rays with computer technology creating cross section images of the body. This device provides greater insight for doctors who can see disease signs earlier through this type of imaging. CTs allow scanning and screening of the entire body as well as specific areas, arteries and internal organs.

South Valley Imaging has a Toshiba CT system that provides more enhanced detail than traditional X-rays. This multi-slice CT scanner provides very high-resolution images of any part of the body in seconds, and it doesn’t require patients to hold their breath quite as long as other spiral scanners. This particular scanner is combined with a state of the art 3D workstation that offers spatial relationships in minute detail.

Tech Jeff Thiesson shows how a CT scan works.

The imaging facility also offers a complete list of ultrasound imaging techniques including various abdominal, obstetric and fetal, pediatric, neonatal and vascular Doppler studies.

Coming later this year will be digitized X-rays that Bak says will be ready in seconds allowing diagnosis and explanation to doctors within a 24-hour period. The older types of X-rays don’t provide enough detail, while digital X-rays can be adjusted, Bak said. Digital allows doctors to see both bone and tissue and, just as important, offers a very low dose of X-ray, he added.

Extra-curricular activities
The staff members, including the doctors and the technicians, are also all working to ensure the facility is a member of the community. Located in Gilroy, near the outlet stores, “the staff works hard to help out area residents and their activities,” said Sentous.

South Valley Imaging personnel are members of the Chamber of Commerce, participate in the Garlic Festival—typical with unusual CT scans of fruits and vegetables, help out with evening tours of Gavilan College, help raise money and act as chaperones for grad night at the local high school, conduct and compete in walk-a-thons and sponsor Pop Warner teams.

The staff also believes in taking mission trips to offer free medical help to the poor in developing countries. In fact, Dr. Bak recently returned from volunteering for two weeks in Cambodia.

South Valley Imaging Center is located at 8359 Church Street, Gilroy, Calif. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., but appointments can be made outside those hours—including weekends—for patients unable to visit during the normal business day. The office can be reached by called (408) 842-0855, via fax at (408) 842-0854 or visit the Web site at www.SouthValleyImaging.com.