Referrals
Fullerton Radiology Medical Group welcomes your referrals to any of our affiliated locations. We participate in essentially all insurance plans accepted by the hospitals and imaging centers. Please see our Locations page for details on contacting the individual sites to which you’d like to refer your patient. If you have any questions regarding the appropriate study or procedure to order, or would like to speak with a radiologist for any other reason, please contact the appropriate imaging center or radiology department and they can direct your call.
Interventional Radiology
Our Interventional Radiologists are always happy to consult by reviewing images, discussing patient history, and working with the patient to determine the best course of action. Steps for referring patients to each site may vary, but we are always available to discuss what needs to be done in order to provide the proper and necessary care for your patient. When appropriate, our Interventional Radiologists will consult with the patient to discuss potential procedures, risks, benefits, and alternatives before scheduling and undergoing pre-procedure steps.
Communication
We realize that communication with referring physicians is essential to providing optimal patient care. Our policy is to directly and expediently contact referring physicians with any critical and/or unexpected urgent findings in order to ensure the patient receives the proper care. Reports are typically available within minutes of interpretation and less than one hour after scanning. During office hours, radiologists are available at each site to review and discuss studies with referring physicians. After hours, radiologists on call are available to remotely review studies and provide guidance.
FRMG physicians strive to generate reports that are accurate and comprehensive yet concise and tailored to the referring physician. Please contact the appropriate radiology department if any questions or concerns regarding reports arise. If needed, studies may be reviewed to address any concerns, compared to prior imaging not available at the time of original interpretation, or examined more closely for specific details not originally described in the report if clinically necessary. When appropriate, an addendum can be issued to reflect the additional review. Imaging center and hospital staff will help to quickly address any concerns when notified; please contact the appropriate locations for further assistance.
Resources for Referring Physicians
Fullerton Radiology Medical Group radiologists are always available to discuss imaging studies or patient care with its referring physicians. Please refer to the Locations page for the appropriate contact information for each of our affiliated institutions. The staff can direct your call appropriately, whether it is directly to a radiologist at that site or to the on call radiologist. If you have a general question about Fullerton Radiology Medical Group, please contact our office staff at (714) 970-0200 or email fullertonradiology@live.com.
Each of our locations has its own policies and procedures for referrals. Consultations for hospitalized patients, including in the emergency room, are generally done through the hospital’s electronic medical record. The on site radiologist or on call radiologist can help determine the appropriate imaging studies to perform, if necessary.
Outpatient imaging procedures generally require an electronic or written order as well as insurance authorization if applicable. Imaging center or hospital staff can assist with identifying which patients require what type of documentation.
Hospital staff members also assist with accepting referrals and scheduling Interventional Radiology procedures. For most invasive procedures, we require recent laboratory values (including a complete blood count, PT/INR, PTT, and basic metabolic panel); an office note including a history and physical within the last 30 days; medication and allergy list; written or electronic order; and insurance authorization for the appropriate imaging technique.
FRMG physicians are trained in a variety of procedures, including biopsy, vascular access, dialysis access intervention, uterine artery or uterine fibroid embolization, lower extremity angiography and intervention, tumor ablation, gastrointestinal intervention such as gastrostomy tube and biliary drain placement, bone marrow biopsy, port-a-cath placement and removal, and urinary intervention such as nephrostomy tube placement and exchange. In most cases, limitations on procedures are based on the specific facility and clinical support. General questions about specific procedures can be directed to our office or any of our radiologists at one of our Locations.
Apart from administrative requirements set by each facility such as insurance authorization and a recent history and physical, most procedures require some basic pre-procedural lab work within the past 30 days, generally including a complete blood count, basic metabolic panel, and coagulation panel (PT/PTT/INR). Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication may need to be withheld if possible to reduce the risk of bleeding. Our Interventional Radiologists generally follow guidelines set forth by the Society of Interventional Radiology which can be found here. In specific instances where guidelines cannot be met but a procedure is medically necessary, exceptions may be made at the discretion of the performing radiologist (for example, an emergent procedure which cannot wait for correction of anticoagulation or a necessary procedure on a patient in whom continuous antiplatelet therapy is critical). Please contact the appropriate hospital or imaging facility to speak directly with a radiologist with any questions about these policies or possible exceptions.
FRMG physicians are always happy to discuss the proper care for your patients. Contact any of our locations and the office staff can assist you in connecting with a radiologist to discuss the possible imaging studies or procedures and any alternatives. For hospital based patients, radiologists are on call after hours to answer urgent questions.
To learn more or for any questions, please call (714) 970-0200 or email office@fullertonradiology.org. For facility specific questions or concerns, please use the Locations page to find the appropriate contact information. Fullerton Radiology Medical Group radiologist physicians help doctors and patients at its affiliated locations, which serve the Anaheim, Bellflower, Brea, Buena Park, Cerritos, Corona, Fullerton, Orange, Placentia, Riverside, Yorba Linda, and neighboring communities.