Diagnostics

Our providers frequently order lab work for patients, which can often be a critical part of an annual checkup or to help properly diagnose or manage a health issue. Black River Health’s comprehensive, in-house laboratory provides one-stop service for busy patients. It frequently allows them to see their physicians and complete their lab work all in one visit.

We are a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) accredited lab. Because of our extensive test menu, most of our laboratory testing volume is able to be processed on-site, offering convenience and prompt results for our patients and providers. Any specialty labs that cannot be done on-site are sent to a reference lab and results are typically available the next day.

Diagnostic and screening imaging technologies like digital X-ray are services we perform in-house, making Black River Health one of the most convenient choices in family health care. Because we store our images on site, you can look at your X-ray with your provider immediately after it is taken

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses magnets and radio waves to create images of the body’s organs, muscles, and tissues. An MRI does not use radiation, making it safer for patients.

A PET, or positron emission tomography, scan is used by doctors to be able to see how tissues and organs are working. A small amount of radioactive material is put into your body. This radioactive material shows up in the scan and helps the doctor determine how tissues and organs are working.

CT scan, or computed tomography scan, uses many different X-ray images of a body to create cross-section images (or slices) of the body. A doctor can use this image to see the internal structures of the body really well.

Ultrasound exams are a painless, radiation-free imaging study using high frequency sound waves. Ultrasounds are used in many areas of medicine andpregnancy care, being especially helpful in diagnosing problems in the abdominal and pelvic regions. Surgeons frequently use ultrasounds to guide a biopsy of the breast or thyroid gland. We can look at veins in your legs to find a blood clot or arteries in your neck to help prevent a stroke. Your exam will be done and interpreted right at Black River Health.

An ECG (also called an EKG or electrocardiogram) is a test that monitors the electrical activity that normally occurs in your heart.

If your provider is concerned that the symptoms you report could be related to problems with the blood flow to your heart, they may recommend you have a walking stress test. A doctor will monitor you and your ECGs while you exercise on a treadmill. The doctor will then go over the results with you immediately following the test and even make medication changes if needed. If additional testing is required, the doctor will arrange for you to have a referral to a cardiologist (a doctor that only treats heart conditions).

We are able to examine your heart with sound waves in a test called an ECHOcardiogram (ECHO). This painless test uses an ultrasound to image the structures of your heart, such as the muscles and valves. This test can help your provider adjust your medications to treat a variety of illnesses, including hypertension, congestive heart failure, or atrial fibrillation. At Black River Health, your echocardiogram is performed and interpreted by a physician, and you will get results the same day. If appropriate, medication changes or other follow up testing can even be ordered at the same time.

Early detection is the best defense against breast cancer. Mammography is performed to screen healthy women for signs of breast cancer. It is also used to follow up on findings from screenings or to evaluate a patient who has symptoms of a breast disease, such as a lump, nipple discharge, breast pain, dimpling of the skin on the breast, or retraction of the nipple. Mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer early. Black River Health is happy to offer state-of-the-art 3-D mammograms.

Using low-dose CT scans, a lung cancer screening can detect lung cancer in people who do not exhibit symptoms. Early detection of lung cancer is important because it can improve survival rates.

Colposcopy is a diagnostic procedure in which a microscope with various magnification lenses is used to provide an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and genital tract. The primary goal of colposcopy is for detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions so that they may be treated early.

LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) is a procedure performed in the office and removes abnormal pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix with 95 percent effectiveness. Local anesthesia is used while a thin wire loop removes the abnormal tissue.

Bone density is measured to assist your medical provider in determining your risk for fractures. A DEXA machine is used with much less radiation than an X-ray, and is simply obtained in the office. We also offer a way to check the quality of your bones with a Trabecular Bone Score. This specialty test allows your provider to determine accurately if medication is beneficial to you as a way to decrease your chance of fracture, especially of your hips or spine.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a condition where the arteries in the body are narrowed to the point that oxygen rich blood is not delivered in sufficient quantities to meet the tissues needs.  Symptoms of PAD include pain in the calves with walking, cold extremities and sometimes a blue color of the foot. Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) is a simple, non-invasive procedure where the blood pressure in the arms is compared to the blood pressure in the legs and can give your physician an indication of how the arteries in the legs are functioning. When this procedure is performed with us, you will get your results the same day, and if needed, medication changes and follow up studies can be ordered as well.