FAQ /

We accept most major insurance plans. Feel free to contact us with your insurance questions. Although you should also contact your insurance provider to make sure your specific exam is covered. Please bring your insurance card to your appointment. Copay, and deductibles are required at time of service.

Simply call us at 972-338-9760 for Addison and 817-701-1100 for Clearfork.

Results usually take 24-48 hours. Your provider will reach out to you if you don’t have a follow up appointment already set up.

Addison location: There's limited free parking in the lot behind the building, with additional free parking in the larger lot just to the left (south) of the building - across Sojourn Drive. There is also complementary valet service at the front entrance, if needed.

Clearfork location: The main entrance and free parking are at the back of the building.

A CT scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images of your bones, blood vessels and soft tissues. CT images provide more detailed information than plain X-rays. They can visualize nearly all parts of the body and are a valuable tool in diagnosing injury or disease and planning medical, surgical or radiation treatment. In the case of car accidents or other types of trauma, CT scans give doctors a quick, effective way to check for internal injuries.

The CT scanner is shaped like a large doughnut standing on its side. You lie on a motorized table that slides through the opening in the device. Once you’re inside, detectors and the X-ray tube make buzzing and whirring sounds as they rotate around you. Each rotation yields several images of thin slices of your body.

Straps and pillows may be used to help you stay in position. During a head scan, the table may be fitted with a special cradle that holds your head still. Our Parkhill Imaging technologist in the next room can see you and communicate via intercom. The technologist may ask you to hold your breath at certain points to avoid blurring the images.

With Parkhill Imaging’s latest technology, CT scans take only a few minutes. The entire process typically takes about 30 minutes.

Some CT scans require a special dye to highlight the areas of your body being examined. By blocking X-rays, the dye helps emphasize blood vessels, intestines or other structures. We may give you the dye by mouth for a scan of your esophagus or stomach, by injection for a scan of your gallbladder, urinary tract, liver or blood vessels, or by enema for a scan of your large intestine. Tell your doctor if you've ever had a reaction to contrast dye.

Depending on which part of your body is being scanned, we may ask you to take off some or all of your clothing and wear a hospital gown; remove your belt, jewelry, dentures, eyeglasses and other metal objects that might interfere with image results; and refrain from eating and drinking for a few hours before your scan. We’ll provide any special instructions before you come in.

After the exam you can return to your normal routine. If you received contrast material, we may give you some special instructions and ask you to wait for a short time before leaving to make sure you feel OK. We’ll remind you to drink lots of fluids to help your kidneys remove the contrast material from your body. A specially trained and board-certified Parkhill Imaging radiologist will analyze the images from your scan and report to your doctor. Your doctor will discuss important findings and next steps with you.

A CT scan exposes you to more radiation than a plain X-ray but not enough to cause any long-term harm. Parkhill Imaging’s faster machines and techniques require less radiation—and use the lowest dose possible to obtain the results your doctor needs. CT scans have benefits that far outweigh any small potential risk.

CT scans are painless.

Magnetic resonance imaging is a noninvasive medical imaging technique that lets your doctor examine your organs, tissues and musculoskeletal system. It produces high-resolution images of the inside of the body that help diagnose a variety of problems. The MRI machine’s magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves create detailed images in 2D and 3D that can be viewed from different angles.

During the MRI scan itself, you’ll hold very still while the magnetic field temporarily realigns water molecules in your body. Radio waves cause these aligned atoms to produce faint signals the machine uses to create cross-sectional MRI images.

The MRI machine looks like a long narrow tube open on both ends. You lie down on a movable table that slides into the opening of the tube. Depending on the part of the body being scanned, you may enter head or feet first. A Parkhill technician in the next room can talk to you through a two-way microphone to answer questions and walk you through the process. If you’re claustrophobic—afraid of enclosed spaces—we can give you medications to make you feel sleepy and more relaxed. Most people get through the exam without difficulty.

Your MRI scan can last from 15 minutes to more than an hour depending on the types of scan and the images requested by your doctor.

Sometimes your doctor may request MRI with contrast, which means you’ll be injected with a contrast agent before the MRI scan. This contrast agent will highlight selected areas of your body to reveal the information your doctor is seeking. Your doctor and our MRI technician will speak with you in detail if a contrast agent is part of your MRI.

Before an MRI exam, eat normally and take your usual medications unless otherwise instructed. We’ll ask you to change into a gown and remove things that might affect the magnetic imaging, including jewelry, hairpins, eyeglasses, watches, wigs, dentures, hearing aids, underwire bras, and cosmetics that contain metal particles.

If you haven't been sedated, you can resume your usual activities immediately after the scan. A specially trained and board-certified Parkhill Imaging radiologist will analyze the images from your scan and report to your doctor. Your doctor will discuss important findings and next steps with you.

Because MRI uses powerful magnets, the presence of metal in your body can distort the image or even be a safety hazard if attracted to the magnet. We’ll ask you about any metal or electronic devices in your body to make sure MRI is safe for you. We’ll also ask about tattoos and permanent makeup since some contain metal that could affect your scan. If you’re pregnant or think you may be pregnant, your doctor may recommend an alternative exam or postpone the MRI. If you’re breast-feeding or have kidney or liver problems, your doctor may limit the use of injected contrast agents during your scan.

The MRI machine creates a strong magnetic field around you and directs radio waves at your body. The procedure is harmless and painless. You don't feel the magnetic field or radio waves, and there are no moving parts around you. During the MRI scan, the internal part of the magnet produces repetitive tapping, thumping and other noises. You might be given earplugs or have music playing to help block the noise.

MRI and CT scans can last a few minutes or more than an hour—and to be successful, the patient needs to stay very still for the entire exam. When that’s difficult for different reasons, sedation can help.

We use sedation with MRI and CT to:

• Calm children and help them remain still
• Relax adults with anxiety or claustrophobia
• Keep adults with movement disorders motionless
• Help people with chronic pain or an injury lie flat

At Parkhill Imaging, we try to use the lowest level of sedation needed to make patients comfortable and achieve a successful exam result. This approach costs less, reduces side effects and shortens recovery time. We use different types of sedation based on the patient and the need. Depending on the type, sedation may be administered orally, intravenously (through an IV), injected or inhaled. Oral sedation is minimal sedation, which changes your mood and relaxes you for the duration of the exam. There’s also conscious sedation, which makes you feel sleepy but keeps you in control of your reflexes. Deep sedation—what most people think of as anesthesia—puts you into a state of sleep during your procedure.

If you know that you’ll be receiving sedation for your exam, we’ll provide specific instructions before your visit, including restrictions on eating and taking your medicines before the exam. You won’t be able to drive after having any kind of sedation and will need to arrange for someone to take you home. If you’ve been sick or feel like you’re getting sick, you might need to reschedule your exam.

X-ray imaging (radiography) is still the most used technique in radiology. Doctors use them to image every part of the body, to look for fractures and examine the chest, abdomen and superficial soft tissues. Because X-rays can identify many different conditions, they’re a fast and easy way for your doctor to make a diagnosis. Digital X-rays replace traditional photographic film and chemical processing with digital X-ray sensors. Digital X-rays provide instant, high-resolution results that are easier to examine and archive. They require significantly lower radiation exposure and are easier on the environment.

To create a digital X-ray or radiograph, the machine exposes a part of your body to a small quantity of X-rays. The X-rays pass through the tissues, striking the detectors to create an image.

You won’t feel anything when the digital X-ray is taken.

Digital X-rays take only a few minutes.

Before the digital X-ray, eat normally and take your usual medications unless otherwise instructed. Depending on which part of your body is being X-rayed, we may ask you to take off some or all of your clothing and wear a hospital gown; and remove your belt, jewelry, dentures, eyeglasses and other metal objects that might interfere with image results. We’ll provide any special instructions before you come in.

You can resume your usual activities immediately after the X-ray. A specially trained and board-certified Parkhill Imaging radiologist will analyze the images from your scan and report to your doctor. Your doctor will discuss important findings and next steps with you.

Digital X-rays expose you to very low levels of radiation—lower than traditional film X-rays. Our Parkhill Imaging technologists are specially trained to minimize exposure. No radiation remains after the radiograph is obtained. If you’re pregnant or think you might be pregnant, you should not be X-rayed.

Digital X-rays are painless.