MyMichigan Health, the Midland-based owner of Alpena’s hospital, said its turnaround times for imaging results is back on track after the hospital system got hit by a nationwide shortage of radiologists, causing delays for the past several months.

We’re glad to see things working smoothly again, and we thank the hospital system’s leaders for their efforts, which included hiring more radiologists, assigning a provider to read bone density tests, and more.

It’s not just about convenience.

Waiting for imaging results can be a scary time.

For some, it could mean waiting to find out whether or not you face death. For others, it could mean waiting for an answer to an unexplained pain or other malady.

For most, it means waiting for answers that hopefully mean the first step toward relief.

The stress of waiting itself can be unhealthy.

That’s why images from MRIs, CAT scans, and the like should be reviewed and analyzed and reported back to doctors as quickly as possible, so that doctors can then begin planning next steps with their patients.

Again, we’re grateful to the leadership at MyMichigan Health for getting this done. It’s a real service to the patients.

Kudos all around.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)