First ‘Comfort’ MRI Scanner Comes to Arizona

SMIL Southwest Medical Imaging, a leading radiologist-owned medical imaging provider in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area for over 40 years, unveiled its first GE HealthCare SIGNA Hero 3.0T MRI at its Biltmore location in Phoenix, Arizona. The SIGNA Hero brings an enhanced patient experience with a design that helps accommodate more patients of all shapes and sizes for greater comfort as well as time-saving workflows for quicker exams.

SMIL’s priority is to stay on the forefront of quality, innovation, and service. GE HealthCare’s SIGNA Hero MRI is a 70 cm wide bore system that comfortably accommodates patients and works across all anatomies to help streamline exams. U.S. systems come standard equipped with AIR Recon DL, a pioneering deep-learning based reconstruction algorithm, and GE HealthCare’s other AIR technology applications that significantly reduce exam times while improving patient experience and clinician workflows.

In 2021, SMIL installed GE HealthCare’s AIR Recon DL. AIR Recon DL improves signal to noise ratio (SNR) and image sharpness, reducing scan times by up to 50 percenti, and enhancing the patient experience. “SMIL is excited to expand our high-tech imaging capabilities in this Phoenix community,” said Michael Douglas, SMIL CEO. “Installing GE HealthCare’s latest MRI technology at our Biltmore location will enable us to serve more patients with the excellence SMIL is known for and deliver accurate results to their referring physicians.”

According to GE HealthCare, SIGNA Hero is named in honor of the healthcare workers who cared for the global community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With enhanced workflows, increased productivity, improved patient comfort, and greater sustainability, SIGNA Hero is designed to help those on the frontlines meet today’s most pressing needs.

Taniesja Vollrath, MR/CT Modality Manager and MRI Safety Officer at SMIL said, “SMIL is thrilled to pioneer the introduction of leading MRI technology in Arizona, prioritizing patient comfort throughout the imaging process. The advanced wide-bore scanner and its cozy blanket-like AIR coils provide a comfortable patient experience. Moreover, our highly skilled technologists are proficient in harnessing the deep learning technology to significantly enhance the speed and quality of imaging, resulting in the ultimate MRI experience for our patients.”

SMIL recently expanded their presence in the Phoenix Metro area, and their plans for growth include utilizing SIGNA Hero MRIs at other locations in the near future.

“We are honored to work with SMIL to enhance patient and provider experiences in the Phoenix metro area with the addition of the SIGNA Hero 3.0T MRI scanner,” said Aaron Hudy, United States and Canada West Central Region President, GE HealthCare. “Our relationship is built on our shared goal of ensuring patients have a comfortable experience. To better serve this community, we come together to introduce an innovative MRI solution that can help make an already challenging exam process easier for both patients and clinicians.”