Radiologists from Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Join the MemorialCare Medical Group and Appoint New Medical Director, Improving Quality of Care With More Targeted Approach

To a radiologist, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Imaging services capture a patient’s ailment and help the physicians determine the best treatment plan. With the natural alignment of imaging and treatment services at a hospital, radiologists at Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach have decided to team up with the MemorialCare Medical Group, an affiliate of MemorialCare Health System, representing over 150 physicians and more than 1,100 contracted specialists with 32 locations in Orange County and Long Beach area.

Imaging is the fastest growing specialty in medicine with the constant change and improvement of imaging technology. Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s are at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology, being one of only three hospitals in California with a 320 Slice CT Scanner.

Joining the MemorialCare Medical Group, radiologists at Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s gain more access to the most advanced imaging technology. Better technology helps radiologists determine a patient’s condition without multiple tests, and specialty trained physicians have the opportunity to focus on their area of expertise.

“The alignment with MemorialCare Medical Group was a reasonable and strategic decision for the radiologists,” says Sherief Gamie, M.D., PhD, director of nuclear medicine and imaging department chair at Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. “I believe that with the expected changes in health care reimbursement, it has become more challenging for small imaging centers to compete. This new partnership with the hospital will give radiologists access to the most cutting-edge imaging technology - like the 320 Slice CT Scanner and PET/CT to provide the best and most accurate diagnosis for a patient.”

Imaging significantly impacts a patient’s treatment options and therefore radiologists are an important part of the care team. Imaging studies allow physicians to determine the cause of an illness through the images captured of the affected area of the body.

With this alignment, Arnold Rappoport, M.D., will become the interim medical director for Imaging at Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children’s and the outpatient imaging center. Dr. Rappoport will assume some of the responsibilities for medical staff administrative leadership including radiologist schedules, coordination with hospital administration to ensure smooth departmental operations, and collaboration within the department to enhance service and quality.

“Imaging is a very exciting specialty in the medical field,” says Dr. Rappoport. “Each year, new methods of imaging are being discovered. These new methods help us provide high-quality care for our patients. The better the technology, the better we can be at determining a diagnosis and creating a more specific treatment plan.”

About the MemorialCare Imaging Center at Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s:
The MemorialCare Imaging Center at Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s offer a variety of diagnostic services and therapeutic treatments to more than 250,000 adult and pediatric patients each year using a wide range of imaging technology and modalities. Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s are leaders in new technology, being one of only three hospitals in Calif. with a 320 Slice CT Scanner. The services and treatments offered range from breast imaging, computed tomography scans, diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, PET/CT, radioimmunotherapy, ultrasound, interventional radiology, interventional oncology and uterine fibroid embolization, a safe and effective alternative to surgery. The Imaging Center now offers a lung cancer screening program for high-risk individuals in the hopes to diagnose lung cancer at an earlier stage. Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s imaging specialists are highly trained and licensed in numerous radiological procedures. Our compassionate radiologists provide the highest quality of patient and family centered care. Visit MemorialCare.org/LBImaging, like us on Facebook.com/LongBeachMemorial and follow us at Twitter.com/LongBeachMMC.

About MemorialCare Medical Group:
MemorialCare Medical Group, part of MemorialCare Health System, represents over 150 physicians and more than 1,100 contracted specialists with 32 locations in Orange County and Long Beach area. Consistently honored as a top rated medical group in California by Integrated Healthcare Association, California Association of Physician Groups and California’s Office of Patient Advocate, MemorialCare Medical Group provides a full spectrum of wellness and medical care to over 100,000 patients. For more information, go to memorialcare.org/medicalgroup.