Radiology and imaging

Choose Montage Health and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for diagnostic procedures and image-guided treatments that meet the highest standards of care. You’ll feel as comfortable as possible thanks to friendly, knowledgeable staff who take care of you in a calming environment. Find out why your neighbors consistently give us some of the nation’s top ratings for radiology patient satisfaction.

Preparing for your procedure

After scheduling your imaging procedure, you’ll receive an email and phone call with an appointment reminder and preparation instructions. If you have a MyChart account, you’ll also see the information in the patient portal. Follow your instructions to help make sure you can receive the test as scheduled and get accurate results.

Tests and procedures

Through Montage Health, you have access to the full range of imaging exams, including:

• Computed tomography (CT) scan – Takes pictures of the inside of your body from many angles
• Heart and vascular imaging – Looks for problems in your heart or blood vessels
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – Uses magnets and radio waves (not radiation) to creates detailed images, especially of soft tissues
• Nuclear medicine – Puts a safe, tiny amount of radiation into your body to give off energy that shows up on a special camera during a PET/CT scan, bone scan, or other test
• Ultrasound – Creates sound waves to show the shape and movement of organs or tissue in the body
• X-ray – Uses a small dose of radiation to reveal broken bones, injuries, and other problems

Cancer imaging

Your cancer screening test may use imaging technology to look for early signs of the disease. Ask your doctor about the right tests for you:

• Breast imaging, including 3D mammography, automated ultrasound for dense breasts, and image-guided biopsies
• Colonoscopy and CT colonography, which check the large intestine for polyps (lumps) that could be cancerous
• Lung cancer screening that uses a low dose of radiation and CT imaging to examine the lungs of current and former heavy smokers

Interventional radiology

During an interventional procedure, doctors not only look at the inside of your body. They also use imaging to guide medical tools that help diagnose or treat your condition. Learn more about interventional radiology, which lets doctors perform treatments in the least invasive way (without large incisions).

Accredited imaging care

Rest assured, Montage Health meets high national benchmarks for imaging staff expertise, technology, quality, and safety. The American College of Radiology (ACR) has:

• Accredited Community Hospital in CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound
• Designated as a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence® (DICOE) by the American College of Radiology (ACR) 
• Awarded Carol Hatton Breast Care Center with Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation

Radiation safety

Ask your care team any questions you have about the safety of your imaging scan. Montage Health imaging locations follow the ACR’s Image Gently and Image Wisely guidelines to avoid unnecessary exams and limit radiation exposure. We’ll use the lowest effective dose of radiation for your or your child’s test. Community Hospital uses less radiation on average than other Bay Area hospitals, according to ACR data.

Radiology experts

You’ll be in the good hands of some of the area’s most compassionate imaging staff. Your care team may include:

• Technicians who perform your imaging test
• Diagnostic radiologists, doctors who review your images to determine what they mean
• Interventional radiologists, doctors who use imaging during treatment or a diagnostic procedure

Understanding your bill

Get answers to common questions about your Montage Health bill and payment.