Not Feeling Well?
Digital X-Rays
in Napa, Sonoma and Benicia
If you need x-rays, the quickest and least expensive option is usually Urgent Care.
If you suffered a sports injury, work-related injury or otherwise suspect you have a sprain or possible fracture from an accident or trauma, an X-ray is the most effective way to confirm your self-diagnosis. Moreover, if you feel you’re having trouble breathing or a fever with a cough, you may have pneumonia or other respiratory illness. A Chest X-ray can help make the diagnosis.
At Urgent Care and TeleHealth clinics in Napa, Sonoma and Benicia, we conveniently serve patients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the Wine Country. We are easily accessible and accept many insurance plans, so many patients visit our clinics who live or work in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties.
The Urgent Care + TeleHealth clinics are locally owned and managed by Dr. Ian Ahwah, an emergency medicine physician who has over 30 years of experience. He and the providers are qualified to diagnose injuries and recommend the appropriate treatment.
Our clinics are proud to offer the convenience of in-house digital X-ray equipment to give you the fastest, most accurate diagnosis. Take advantage of the advanced on-site technology by scheduling a same-day or next-day appointment online or by calling one of the clinics directly.
At this time, we offer X-rays on weekdays only and X-rays are not available on the weekends.
Who Can Benefit?
- Suffered a sports injury or injury at work.
- Need flexible scheduling options.
- Live or work in the Napa or Benicia areas.
- Need diagnosis and treatment in one appointment.
If you visit your primary care physician when you have an injury and need an x-ray, you will usually need to schedule a second visit at a hospital or outpatient imaging center to have the x-ray performed. Then you’ll need a third visit at your primary care physician to review results and get treatment. At Urgent Care, you’ll receive an examination, x-ray and treatment all at the same visit.
If you choose to visit an emergency room, you’ll usually have a prolonged wait time and the cost of the visit will be several times higher. Urgent care clinics cost less and usually have a much shorter wait time, usually less than an hour. The x-ray results are given on the same date, preventing any delay in your treatment and recovery.
Digital X-Ray FAQ
How do Digital x-rays work?
Digital X-ray imaging is an advanced diagnostic tool that works with electromagnetic waves to create a picture of the inside of the human body. The image is formed when electromagnetic waves are transmitted/absorbed inside the body by internal organs and tissues.
Different body tissues absorb and transmit waves differently, differentiating tissues on X-ray film. As X-ray imaging is used frequently in diagnosing different conditions, people have many concerns and questions about it.
Are Digital X-rays at Urgent Care + TeleHealth Safe?
One of the most commonly asked questions about X-rays is about their safety. It is normal to be concerned about being exposed to radiation. However, digital X-ray is a safe diagnostic procedure. Even though it works with radiation, the level of electromagnetic radiation in X-ray imaging is very low.
The amount of radiation in digital X-rays has decreased over the years due to technological advancements. The total radiation a person absorbs during a single X-ray imaging session is similar to the amount of radiation absorbed from the environment in about a week..
A provider at Urgent Care + TeleHealth will recommend an X-ray only after weighing its benefits and costs.
Do I need to first visit my primary care doctor before coming to Urgent Care + TeleHealth for an X-ray?
Many people are confused about whether they need a referral from their primary care physician prior to visiting Urgent Care for x-rays.
If you are covered by a PPO or an HMO which we accept, then your insurance is considered to be in-network, and no referral is needed for the x-ray and visit. Keep in mind that co-pays may be required depending on your insurance coverage.
If you are paying out-of-pocket with a debit card or your health care coverage includes an HSA or FSA account, we offer a self-pay discount.
We also see patients for just an x-ray when the primary care doctor doesn’t have x-ray in-house. In these cases, your physician can refer you to us and we would take the x-ray only and provide the report back to your primary care physician.
How Long Does an X-ray Procedure Take?
Digital X-rays are painless and only take a few minutes, depending on the treatment area. You can relax in a comfortable exam room while the X-ray technician sets up the equipment around you.
During the X-rays, you must remain as still as possible to get an accurate result. You might need to reposition your body several times during the test, based on the reason for your X-ray.
Once the imaging test is over, your Urgent Care + TeleHealth provider reviews the results to give you a proper diagnosis before your appointment ends. The medical team creates a customized treatment plan to address your injury or condition, or they can refer you to a specialist for further treatment.
Many times your treatment can begin at our clinics immediately after the diagnosis.
When are X-rays Required?
The most common use of X-rays at our clinics is to diagnose pneumonias, or fractures, dislocations and sprains caused by injuries from sports or in the workplace. We’ll look at bones and joints to detect fractures and breaks.
However, X-ray imaging also helps diagnose many other conditions. Some of the important health conditions requiring X-ray for diagnosis include the following:
- Skeletal Problems X-ray helps in the diagnosis of bone-related problems over a wide range. Diagnosing congenital bone structure problems such as skeletal deformities (kyphosis, scoliosis), skeletal fractures, and bone tumors are required.
- Respiratory Disease Several respiratory diseases can be diagnosed and differentiated using X-rays. These include pneumonia, pneumothorax, atelectasis, emphysema, bronchitis, airway obstruction, and lung cancers.
- Dysphagia Dysphagia refers to the difficulty in initiation or propagation of swallowing. There are numerous causes of dysphagia, such as esophageal cancer, obstruction, or infection, and an x-ray may help diagnose the cause of dysphagia.
- Breast Cancer Mammograms: X-ray is very useful for diagnosing breast cancer because it helps differentiate the type and extent of the tumor. This differentiation subsequently helps decide the treatment procedure.
- Abdominal and Pelvic Diseases The disease of the abdomen, such as constipation, intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, often presents with non-specific symptoms. X-ray helps differentiate diseases of the abdomen and pelvis according to their specific findings on X-ray.
How does X-Ray technology work?
In X-ray, electromagnetic radiation is passed through the body from an angle according to the requirement. These rays pass through the body and are detected by a detector on the opposite side of the body. Different parts/organs of the body absorb different amounts of rays.
The dense parts such as bones absorb more radiation and transmit fewer rays creating a white area on the image. The detector detects the level of transmitted rays through different tissues and creates an image accordingly. The hollow areas appear dark in the image, while dense tissues appear white.
Are there any Other Technologies like X-Ray?
Other technologies like X-rays used in medicine include CT scans and MRIs. CT scans and MRIs are more advanced than plain X-rays which take images from different angles, generating a 3D image. CT scan is more appropriate for bones, muscles, and brain, while MRI is better for visualization of soft organs of the abdomen such as the liver and spleen. If you need further advanced imaging, we at Urgent Care + TeleHealth, will order these specialized tests for you.
FAQ References
References
- Skinner S. (2013). Radiation safety. Australian family physician, 42(6), 387–389. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23781545/
- Barker D. (1978). Protection and safety in the X-ray department. Radiography, 44(518), 45–49. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/625547/
- Chen, H., Rogalski, M. M., & Anker, J. N. (2012). Advances in functional X-ray imaging techniques and contrast agents. Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP, 14(39), 13469–13486. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569739/
- Parveen, N. R., & Sathik, M. M. (2011). Detection of Pneumonia in chest X-ray images. Journal of X-ray science and technology, 19(4), 423–428. https://doi.org/10.3233/XST-2011-0304
- Poppe H. (1970). Die Röntgendiagnostik entzündlicher Knochen- und Gelenkerkrankungen [X-ray diagnosis of inflammatory bone- and joint diseases]. Der Chirurg; Zeitschrift fur alle Gebiete der operativen Medizen, 41(5), 198–203. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5515720/
- Barloon, T. J., Bergus, G. R., & Lu, C. C. (1996). Diagnostic imaging in the evaluation of dysphagia. American family physician, 53(2), 535–546. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8629536/
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