In July 2019, facing significant access challenges with upcoming construction on both fixed CT scanners, South Sacramento integrated the BodyTom Elite mobile CT scanner into their interventional radiology (IR) department. The introduction of the BodyTom into IR prevented significant potential access loss especially for cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment, also enhancing patient care and streamlining their workflow. As one of the busiest IR departments in Northern California KP network, the SSC KP IR team handles a large amount of complex CT guided procedures, including CT guided microwave and cryoablation cases under general anesthesia. South Sacramento also has one of the busiest emergency departments in all of Northern California, the addition of the BodyTom Elite into their department improved patient access to vital interventional imaging, especially for oncology cases, and helped alleviate the time pressure on and disruptions to their fixed CT scanners.
The BodyTom Elite CT scanner has become an essential tool for the IR department at Kaiser South Sacramento, helping to improve patient access to critical imaging and enhancing workflow efficiency. Dr. Farhad Farzanegan MD, an Interventional Radiology Specialist, who has been with Kaiser’s IR department for 15 years, saw immediate benefits. The BodyTom Elite enabled his team to handle complex ablations, biopsies, and drainage procedures with great precision and fewer delays in access especially for their oncology patients. “The biggest advantage is improving access to care,” he explained “cancer patients, in particular, can’t afford to wait for imaging, and with the BodyTom, we can bring the CT scan directly to the IR suite”. Timely access to CT is crucial in diagnosing and treating cancer before it advances, which can also help reduce patient anxiety.
At Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento, the BodyTom Elite plays a vital role in maintaining the precision of CT guided procedures. Similar to when using a fixed CT scanner, the BodyTom allows for real-time imaging, enabling small, precise movements of the needle throughout the procedure. Dr. Farzanegan states “this ensures accuracy and minimizes invasiveness, reducing the need for repeat procedures and improving overall patient safety”.
The BodyTom Elite also provides significant benefits for the hospital’s overall workflow. Complex procedures require precision, quality imaging, and often significant amounts of time. While these procedures are crucial for patient care, they can occupy the fixed CT scanners for long periods, creating challenges in managing imaging needs across departments. With the BodyTom, Interventional Radiologists now have access to a dedicated CT scanner, improving their patients’ care and increasing their own workflow in IR. Equally important is the improved and more predictable access to diagnostic imaging on the house scanners in the emergency department and hospital units.
One of the standout advantages of the BodyTom is that it does not require expensive room renovations and can charge using a standard wall outlet. By using the mobile CT scanner in a room in the IR department, Kaiser was able to gain the functionality of another CT scanner without the
significant infrastructure investment of building out a new room. Hospital leadership has embraced this cost-effective approach, recognizing how it supports both patient care and operational efficiency.
Beyond infrastructure savings, Dr. Farzanegan states that “the BodyTom Elite frees up the fixed scanners to handle more patients, improving overall throughput and access to imaging”. By enabling more efficient use of resources, the BodyTom Elite not only enhances patient care but also helps the hospital serve more patients, which in the world outside KP’s pre-pay model would mean increasing revenue potential while maintaining high-quality standards.
Given the success of the BodyTom Elite, Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento is constructing a specialized suite to enable the new BodyTom 64 CT scanner to work alongside an advanced portable C-arm unit to further improve workflow efficiencies. Having seen the multifaceted benefits experienced at South Sacramento, other KP facilities have also started to use the BodyTom for IR procedures. The BodyTom is a key part of the organization’s commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care with high efficiency and precision.