LIJ Medical Center Opens $6M Radiology Suite

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJ) announced the opening of a $6 million addition to its medical offerings last week, as the hospital cut the ribbon on its interventional radiology suite.

The suite will serve as a new home to LIJ’s 400-person oncology staff, featuring a new image-guided therapy system LIJ officials say is the best in the business. Known as the Philips Azurion 7, the new piece of machinery will enhance LIJ’s interventional radiology offerings, a service hospital officials called, “The workhorse of modern healthcare.”

While the new equipment and space are nice, LIJ brass said the real difference will be made for patients who come through the doors with a wide array of medical concerns.

“Long Island Jewish Medical Center has transformed itself into one of the nation’s leading cancer hospitals and this technology enhances the important work our physicians are doing,” LIJ president and Northwell senior vice president Dr. Lenny Nartowicz said. “This advanced interventional radiology suite increases access to care and provides ever more precise targeting for a host of medical problems.”

Opening in an 1,100-square-foot space, the new cancer center’s $6 million price tag included the cost of ancillary equipment, IT and extra recovery space. Also on that bill was the Azurion 7, outfitted with eight rotational axes, a touch screen and a world of new cancer conditions that LIJ will be able to treat with a lower dose of radiation.

“This is the next generation of interventional radiology, which translates into better image quality, more precise guidance and – significantly for the patient – lower dose radiation,” Dr. Ross Wank, executive vice chair of radiology in Northwell’s Central Market, said. “The Azurion 7 is a game-changer in terms of improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.”

While there will be differences made for patients, LIJ medical director Mathew Foley said the new space will also be a big boon for the people who work in LIJ facilities everyday.

“We are excited to open a new IR suite along with all of the new equipment and technology that it holds,” Foley said. “Our physicians and nurses deserve to work with superior equipment and our patients demand the best results.”