Health center hopes for MRI

The Hillsdale Community Health Center is seeking to purchase a new million-dollar MRI machine for the hospital.
In order to replace the current machine, the health center must meet certain standards. Health center officials said they are confident they will meet all the standards except one, said Jeremiah Hodshire, the Director of Organizational Development at the hospital and a '99 alumni of Hillsdale College.
The center must average 6,000 MRI tests per year, according to the Certificate of Need Commission standards.
"There's no way right now to meet the needed 6,000 tests," Hodshire said.
Hoshire said for the past few years, the hospital has averaged 5,000 tests, and in 2009 the hospital had 5,400 MRI tests.
The commission, an 11-member organization appointed by the governor, approves the purchase of major medical equipment at hospitals throughout the state. CON Commission meets four times a year to assess the needs requested by hospitals, said Sallie Slanders, review specialist a the Michigan Department of Community Health.
The current MRI machine has been in place since 2005. Before then, the hospital would call in a mobile MRI machine. The hospital would only be able to perform MRIs three or four days a week.
In 2004, health center officials requested a fixed MRI machine be installed at the health center. He said the hospital wanted to be realistic and asked the requirement be lowered from 6,000 to 4,000 tests a year.
"Where we were concerned was the number of tests with the MRI," Hodshire said.
The CON Commission granted the exception and the current machine was installed the following year.
The current MRI is now outdated, breaking down and not meeting the demands of the hospital, Hodshire said.
He said the machine is often being repaired, prompting local physicians to look elsewhere for an MRI scan. The health center will need to replace it in order to stay competitive, Hodshire said.
The new machine has more than twice as much magnetic strength than the current one.
To replace the current MRI, the health center used the language from the 2005 exception and went before the CON Commission with a new request.
Hosdshire said he doesn't expect any problems to arise, and they should be granted the exception.
"We need to retain the exceptions to the rule to allow small hospitals to keep competitive," Hodshire said.
The Department Official said the proposed language has moved forward for the upcoming December meeting.
Amy Aemisgger, a Hillsdale College Assistant Athletic Trainer, said the College uses the hospital's MRI to diagnose soft-tissue injury.