The Point of Care Ultrasound

Talk to the average American about the state of US healthcare, and chances are you will find they are not impressed. Sure, we have numerous doctors, healthcare facilities and medical schools combined with a long list of medical equipment and tests that can be run, but still many Americans would love to have their health concerns identified more effectively and at a lower cost.

If this sounds familiar, then it’s no surprise. According to recent studies, US healthcare is showing to be higher priced that comparable nations, but with less than optimal results. In fact, the US spends twice as much on medical testing – CAT scans, MRIs, etc. – than any other nation, but we still have shorter lifespans and the highest rate of infant mortality!

So, with those numbers in mind, what can we do as healthcare facilities to bring about change? Recently, Dr. Paul Bornemann of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine explained an approach referred to as the Point of Care Ultrasound, that will make a huge difference for all medical practices that adopt it. The POCUS is a bedside ultrasound system that can be used by virtually any person in the medical field – with only minimal training required.

Even better is that the POCUS can reduce costs by as much as 50% if used first, plus when the POCUS is used along with a series of specific questions to determine more about the problem, there are better results.

If your general practice is unsure of the many ways a POCUS system could be used, here are just a few of the most common ones as applied to primary care procedures:

·      Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

·      Focused DUT Evaluation

·      Peripheral Arterial Disease

·      Carotid Artery Stenosis

·      Ophthalmologic Ultrasound

·      Pulmonary Ultrasound

·      Bowel Assessment

·      OBGYN Ultrasound

·      Musculoskeletal Concerns

·      Limited Echocardiography

·      Limited Urological Ultrasound

·      Limited Thyroid Evaluation

The versatility of the POCUS makes it a practical investment for any office, but there are still a large number of offices that have not made it available. Some of the many reasons to purchase a POCUS unit for your healthcare location include- but are not limited to:

–       It is smaller and more portable.

–       The number of medical students being trained to use it are increasing yearly while the investment in the machine is decreasing yearly.

–       You can start with a small system and easily upgrade.

–       Studies showing it to be more effective.

–       The POCUS only takes 3 ½ minutes to use, versus other lengthier options.

–       It has 100% better sensitivity and 99% better specificity than other tests.

–       It allows for more accuracy when a needle is to be used in a specific procedure.

So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to implement the POCUS and make your practice both more efficient and more effective. Within just minutes, you can provide your patients with answers and begin them on the path to better health. Don’t put off implementing the POCUS system in your location. Talk to the pros at National Ultrasound today.