PET/CT scanners have been popular tools in medical facilities, and their use is expected to reach new heights in the next decade as technology continues evolving at a rapid clip.

With an eye toward the future – and keeping patients’ current-day needs in mind – Riverside Healthcare has been strategically allocating capital spending toward PET/CT scanners, which use noninvasive imaging to detect a range of conditions.

Riverside Healthcare was recognized as an Innovator in Healthcare in The Daily Journal’s 2026 Progress Awards for its focus on patient needs and harnessing the latest technological tools available in today’s marketplace.

The organization’s commitment has been two-fold, as evidenced by last year’s completed construction of a 5,000-square-foot imaging suite and the purchase of new MRI and CT machines.

The suite, in particular, has brought noticeable change to Riverside since it was unveiled a year ago. Riverside formerly had in place an arrangement with an outside provider that involved the use of a portable mobile unit.

“A lot of these patients are some of our most compromised patients,” said Garrard Hendrix, supervisor of nuclear medicine. “The way that service was rendered, prior to us installing our own PET/CT suite, is that they had to go out to a trailer, and brave the elements.”

Kathryn Eschbach, director of imaging services, has been credited within the organization for honing in on the expansion project, which became a priority shortly after she joined Riverside in the second half of 2021.

The third-party provider arrangement, Eschbach said, brought several limitations – some more evident than others.

“We had been partners with them for 18 years,” she said. “They had been great partners to us, but we were on a schedule with them. They could only come in about twice a week, at most. There was a limited number of appointments that they could take in a day. It was on a truck, so patients had to be relatively ambulatory to be able to get on and off.”

The new facility coincides with growing demand from Riverside’s patient base for PET/CT imaging services.

“We were serving around 40 to 50 patients, max, a month,” Eschbach said. “Since we’ve opened, we’re now offering more than 90 time slots every month. It’s a huge asset, giving patients the ability to get in when they need to.”

The facility, coupled with the equipment upgrades, has meant trimmed-down patient wait times, according to organization representatives.

“Today, a patient can get in the same week; it’s really much, much quicker,” President and CEO Phil Kambic said. “It gives them a better quality of care and better peace of mind.”

While general enhanced customer care is one reason behind the new facility’s unveiling, Eschbach said there also has been a critical element behind the ramped-up investment.

“A lot of patients are waiting on starting chemotherapy or patient therapy for these tests,” she said. “If you’re prolonging that treatment, you’re not taking care of their cancer. The sooner we can get them in and get them served, the better it is all around.”

With the overall infrastructure in place, Hendrix said Riverside is poised to expand its level of service as new technology continues to come online.

“With PET/CTs, fortunately, we’re on the cusp of a huge horizon of procedures that are now going to be available … that will allow us to expand service,” Hendrix said. “Riverside is positioned to expand its service to cardiology, neurology and oncology. The new camera systems also have AI integrated into them, so we are able to take advantage of AI with some of these imaging systems.”

While much of Riverside’s recent forward-looking focus has been directed toward PET/CT scanning and the imaging suite, Kambic said the organization has been making strategic investments elsewhere as well.

The organization, for instance, is doubling down on investments at outpatient campuses in Coal City and Frankfort.

“We have really been on the forefront of expanding outpatient services at Riverside,” Kambic said. “People want to go where it’s easy and convenient to get their care, get what they want, and leave.”

Additionally, Kambic said Riverside has been making strides toward helping people with other specific needs.

“We also have a $30 million rebuild of our inpatient behavioral health unit that is going on right now,” Kambic said. “I’m very excited about that.”

He added that behavioral health used to be very taboo, but post-COVID, a growing number of patients have behavioral health needs. Riverside also has been making investments in inpatient behavioral health units.

For more information, visit riversidehealthcare.org.