ARMC Radiology Front Office Services

The front office at Athens Regional Medical Services is responsible for processing patient paperwork for all radiology modalities for both inpatient and outpatient exams. The personnel cover first, second, and third shifts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They also process all film tracking, release of films, and release of reports for all radiology procedures. The front office is under constant study and evaluation to make these processes more efficient and expedient for better patient care.

Registration & Sign In

When you arrive to have your procedure at ARMC Radiology, please register at the ER or South Tower Registration areas before reporting to Radiology. Please remember to bring your insurance information and doctor’s orders to process your registration correctly.

When you arrive in Radiology you will be asked to sign in and have a seat in the outpatient waiting area. Please understand that radiology encompasses many procedures, so everyone may not be waiting for the same test as you are. Please also be aware your scheduled appointment time may be delayed due to emergency cases.

Film Release

Because ARMC Radiology front office tracks films for all radiology modalities, please allow 24 hours notice before release of any films. Films must be released into the care of a doctor and you must provide the name, address, and phone number of that doctor’s office before the films can be released to you.

If you require films for your personal records, copies of films are $10 per sheet of film. Please allow 48-hour notice for this process.

To arrange pick up or copies of films, please call (706) 475-9729.

Also, please note that because of the growth of services at ARMC, all films are not stored on the hospital campus. All films taken in 2002 are stored within the hospital and are readily accessed, but require 24 hours to be processed. Films taken in the years 2001 and 2000 are in an off-site storage facility in Athens and can be retrieved in 24 hours. Most films processed from 1999 to 1995 are in our storage facility in New York, which requires 3-5 days to process. Per ARMC policy, most films taken prior to 1994 are unavailable.

Release of Reports

A preliminary report of your radiology procedure should be available to your doctor within 24 hours of your procedure. The final report is sent to your doctor after being signed by the radiologist.

If your require the report to be sent to a physician other than the one who ordered your procedure we require a signed release from you. This can either be brought to ARMC Radiology, or faxed from the physician requesting the report.

If you require a report for your personal records, you will need to come to the Radiology Front Office to sign a release. If someone other than yourself is picking up your report, they will need to have a signed release from you.

Performance Improvement Initiatives

The ARMC Radiology Front Office is under constant review of policy and procedures in order to provide the most effective and efficient customer service possible. The front office initiatives have focused on addressing order error/cancellation rates, film tracking, report turn around time, radiologist availability, and education of staff. The issue of space at the front office is also being addressed with plans for expansion on the horizon.