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Improving Diagnostic Imaging Access and Care

Diagnostic imaging services are essential to the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, injuries and conditions. 

Patients and their families are counting on Nova Scotia Health to bring them better and faster access to these services, as close to home as possible.

Progress is being made by better coordinating how these services are offered, validating waitlists, improving communication and investing in people, partnerships, spaces, equipment and technology. 

More patients are receiving the diagnostic imaging tests they need sooner, and Nova Scotia Health teams will continue to make the changes and investments needed to deliver the results patients need.

Progress to build on:

Nova Scotia Health is increasing the number of diagnostic imaging tests being completed. 

Below we spotlight some of the many initiatives, changes and investments our teams are leading to deliver more care sooner.

Electronic Referrals (eReferrals)

Electronic referrals help Nova Scotia Health better manage and coordinate referrals to diagnostic imaging services. 

Our teams launched eReferrals for magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound services in 2023 and expanded to include bone mineral density (BMD) testing in December 2023. Planning continues for the roll-out of eReferrals for other diagnostic imaging services. 

With eReferrals, our teams can track referrals to avoid delays and help identify duplicate referrals. We can also keep patients and their healthcare provider in the loop. Patients who provide an email with their eReferral can even confirm their appointment from the email notification they receive. 

Overtime, as teams gain a more complete provincial picture of those waiting for care, eReferrals will also help staff connect patients with faster options. 

Learn more:

Electronic referrals

Image of doctor at computer

MRI machine

New Equipment

Providing our teams with the modern technology needed to deliver diagnostic imaging services is a priority.

In 2024 Nova Scotia Health purchased four new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, with the support of donations to the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation and Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation. This included:

  • A new MRI at Dartmouth General Hospital -- projected to allow more than 5700 additional MRIs in its first year of use.
  • Two new MRIs to replace aging equipment as part of the QEII Halifax Infirmary expansion project. 
  • A new relocatable MRI machine that can be moved to different facilities around the province. The first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, the unit was operational at the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre in the summer of 2024 and is on pace to provide more than 3900 additional MRIs in its first year of use.

Learn more:

More access, improved wait times for MRIs

Partnering to provide more care

In 2024 Nova Scotia Health entered a five-year, $7.6-million agreement with Healthview Medical Imaging in Halifax to provide publicly funded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound scans at no cost to patients.

Nova Scotia Health began scheduling patients to have MRIs at this location in June 2024 and more than 1500 exams are expected to be completed there by the end of March 2025. Teams also began scheduling patients to receive ultrasounds at the location in November 2024.

Learn more:

More access, improved wait times for MRIs

Patient having ultrasound on stomach

Diagnostic imaging no show poster

Preventing missed appointments 

Nova Scotia Health is working to improve diagnostic imaging access and reduce wait times, by preventing missed appointments.  

We understand there can be many reasons patients can't make or miss appointments and understanding why appointments are missed can help us find solutions.

Toll-free rebooking line - A toll-free line was rolled out in 2023 as part of an awareness campaign to help reduce no shows for diagnostic imaging appointments. Patients unable to attend their scheduled diagnostic imaging appointment are asked to call 1-844-I-REBOOK (1-844-473-2665) as soon as possible to ensure the appointment time can be used by another patient.

Electronic referrals -  Electronic referrals can help avoid missed appointments by helping keep patients up to speed on their referrals for MRIs  and ultrasounds. Patients who are referred for these services in the tool can provide their email address and receive automatic notifications when their referral is sent and an appointment is booked. Patients who have provided an email address can also confirm their appointment from the email notification they receive. 

Learn more:

Better coordinating our waitlists

Waitlists for diagnostic imaging services have historically been managed by each diagnostic imaging site, with patients referred to individual locations to be reviewed, prioritized and scheduled.

Nova Scotia Health teams are working to improve how wait lists are managed and coordinated to help: 

  • deliver more care sooner 
  • prevent duplicate referrals or tests
  • maintain accurate and up-to-date lists
  • improve communication with patients and their healthcare providers
  • make the best use of our diagnostic imaging teams and equipment

Launching electronic referrals was an important first step and Nova Scotia Health staff will next be review, validate and compare waitlists from each location to develop a true provincial view of the demand for care.

This work will begin early in 2025 and include identifying patients who are on more than one waitlist, patients who have already had their exams completed and follow-up calls to some patients to confirm they still require an exam. 

This team will look at both electronic referrals and paper or fax-based referrals to help ensure those waiting the longest within a priority level receive appointments soonest. 

Centralized booking department

Staff providing diagnostic imaging test to patient

Building our teams 

Delivering quality services to patients requires skilled technologists and radiologists, as well as the various staff needed to schedule and register patients for their exams and procedures.

Nova Scotia Health teams are working with the Office of Healthcare Recruitment to help recruit for these roles and develop longer term workforce plans.

Strategies to recruit and retain skilled teams include:

  • Sponsoring staff to obtain their MRI certifications and breast imaging credentials. 
  • Adding seats to training programs to increase the number of technologists entering the workforce.
  • Commitments to hire new graduates, even without current vacancies, to keep as many of these clinicians in the province as possible. 
  • Focused recruitment within international markets, including active campaigns in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK).
  • Working with regulatory partners to support expedited licensing for technologists from several markets including the UK, US, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria and the Philippines – combined with a job posting to build a hiring pool for these technologists. This process will help attract and engage International Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Professionals (MIRTPs) and provide information on the registration pathways available in Nova Scotia (Internationally Educated New Applicants | Nova Scotia College of MIRTP).
  • A new collective agreement that provides good compensation and benefits.
  • A dedicated professional practice leader to support best practices and professional development. 
  • Exploring new technologies that can support care and we will soon introduce new roles, such as student employment opportunities leading to recruitment in permanent positions.

Allowing more healthcare providers to request x-rays

Nova Scotia has expanded the list of healthcare providers who can request general radiographs (X-rays) to include physiotherapists and chiropractors. This saves patients time and unnecessary additional appointments. 

Physiotherapists employed by Nova Scotia Health or IWK Health were already able to request X-rays, but in 2024, physiotherapists working in private practice were also given the option to begin requesting X-rays. 

Learn more:

Physiotherapists across Nova Scotia able to request X-rays

Chiropractors across Nova Scotia able to request X-rays

Physio

YourHealthNS poster showing services available on the app

Making health records and more available with the YourHealthNS app

YourHealthNS is a new app that lets patients view their online health records and helps them navigate health information, book services and discover care options, easier and faster than ever before, right from their phone or computer.

Online health records are being made available through a phased approach to Nova Scotians 16 years of age and up. Records patients can find with YourHealthNS include:

  • Medications
  • Hospital Visits and Stays
  • Immunizations
  • Lab and Diagnostics
  • Health Visits

Patients with a requisition from their healthcare provider, can book an X-ray appointment through the app and access other information related to their diagnostic imaging tests including: 

  • The date, time, type of test (CT, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound), body part, referring provider, and location of the place where you received your test. 
  • Ultrasound and X-ray reports are also available. X-ray reports include findings, a comparison with any previous X-rays, the patient’s history and a summary. Ultrasound reports include the reason for the ultrasound, findings and a comparison with any previous ultrasounds.

Learn more:

Get secure access to your health records and more at YourHealthNS

What information is available in my online health records and when will it be available to me?

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