MRI at Mount Zion: Refreshed to Improve Patient Care

On Wednesday March 14, the radiology team at Mount Zion Hospital celebrated the reopening of MRI Zone 3 room after a comprehensive space refresh. Partners in the project were nursing supervisor Jeremy Montemayor, director of radiology operations David Sostarich, and Lourdes Moldre, patient care director at Mount Zion Hospital.

With the refurbished Zone 3 room, UCSF is now able to better serve Mount Zion outpatients who need anesthesia for their imaging studies and patients with medical implants. In the new, more spacious layout a patient can receive their anesthesia in Zone 3 and then be wheeled into the magnet room within seconds. For patients with pacemakers and other implants, the 1.5T MRI scanner in use here is a safe imaging solution, with specially trained nurses and technologists available to consult with patients to ensure that their implants can be safely imaged. Other space upgrades include a bright yellow door to the Zone 3 room and standardized signage and decals that are being implemented across the UCSF Health System to provide the visual consistency that is crucial to patient safety.

Prior to the pandemic, Mount Zion Hospital was closed for outpatient procedures. Now that outpatient care is once again offered at this site, and since the closure of space at Moffit-Long in advance of construction of the new Parnassus hospital, Mount Zion has seen an increase in use, including for special cases involving anesthesia or implant protocols.

Thank you to Jeremy Montemayor for his leadership on this project, which included consultation with many stakeholders including teams from quality and safety, facilities, nursing and technologists, anesthesia, radiology.