Story by Mike May | Photos by Callie Sharkey
Newly opened Next Generation MRI brings the most unique and highly advanced MRI ever developed to central Palm Beach County.
The Esaote G-scan Brio is the only one of its kind in Palm Beach County and one of only nine in the State of Florida. Nationwide, there are less than 100 of them currently in use. Next Generation MRI’s equipment is not your regular, conventional MRI. The firm’s technology is current, state-of-the-art and imported from Genoa, Italy.
“We have the most unique and highly advanced MRI ever developed,” said Next Generation MRI founder Joe Nasuti, whose professional background includes more than 35 years in the imaging industry. “It’s a combination of Italian engineering and space-age technology resulting in unheard-of capabilities no other MRI can perform.”
This includes 90-degree rotation for full natural body weight bearing stand-up scans and center-line scanning for every body part, flex and extension, motion studies, and 3D images. “We will go boldly where no MRI has gone before!” Nasuti said.
Next Generation MRI opened July 1 and is located across the street from the Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach. According to Nasuti, the services provided by Next Generation MRI outperform other local competitors and are focused on providing patients with quick and accurate answers to medical questions.
To add to the overall MRI experience, Next Generation has added an MRI Café to its offices, where clients can rest, unwind and prepare for the MRI by having a cup of coffee. The goal is to create a low-key, relaxed atmosphere for the client prior to the MRI experience.
To add to the space-age technology aspect of Next Generation MRI’s services, when you are in one of its two MRI rooms, you can look up and see a picture of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, on the ceiling. It’s alright to lay there and say, “Beam me up, Scotty!”
Next Generation MRI has two MRI bays and will only schedule eight to 10 MRIs a day on each machine. This makes sure that no client will ever be rushed through an MRI procedure.
To get access to Next Generation MRI, you must be referred by a medical professional, such as a chiropractor, orthopedic surgeon, podiatrist or neurosurgeon.
“We are specializing in patients who need an MRI due to an auto accident, workman’s comp claim, a personal injury incident, or a slip and fall accident,” Nasuti explained.
The big key to Next Generation MRI’s services is that Nasuti and his team can perform a vertical MRI, where you are standing up, in addition to an MRI where you are laying on your back.
“With the vertical MRI, we can see your pain better than anyone else,” Nasuti said. “That converts to a more accurate diagnosis and better treatment.”
According to Heather Garland, chief MRI tech for Next Generation MRI, the G-Scan Brio technology in each MRI machine is the world’s first MRI specifically developed to perform more accurate musculoskeletal examinations. The two MRI machines inside Next Generation’s offices are also the world’s only 100 percent natural weight-bearing, stand-up MRI machines. Of great importance to many potential clients is the fact that Next Generation MRI has the least-claustrophobic MRI on the market.
According to Nasuti, the G-Scan Brio reveals what supine MRIs can miss.
“A conventional MRI may not demonstrate the pathology related to these symptoms, but G-Scan Brio gives you a new point of view, so you can accurately diagnose musculoskeletal pathologies affected by a weight-bearing position,” Nasuti said.
The G-Scan Brio also provides more detail, better accuracy and greater confidence.
“The G-Scan Brio is superior to other MRIs because both the magnet and patient can rotate from 0 to 90 degrees,” Garland explained. “Our technology has eliminated the need for many exploratory surgeries.”
Simply put, the G-Scan Brio adds weight to your diagnosis.
“The G-Scan Brio offers a revolutionary MRI approach that increases diagnostic accuracy and confidence for musculoskeletal applications,” Nasuti said.
Once the MRI is complete, it’s sent electronically to Dr. Bruce Rodan, one of the most respected, board-certified radiologists in the industry.
“His preliminary report will be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes, which is another industry first,” Nasuti said.
One of Next Generation MRI’s clients is West Palm Beach-based chiropractor Dr. Thomas Rupolo. He’s a big believer in what Next Generation MRI has to offer. “This is the latest and greatest MRI technology on the market,” Rupolo said. “It’s not a claustrophobic experience, and it provides a superior diagnosis.”
Rupolo will be referring all of his patients who need an MRI to Next Generation MRI.
To give you more peace of mind when you visit, Next Generation MRI has installed three bipolar ionization air purification systems that eliminate bacteria and viruses from the air. It’s the same system used by major airlines.
Next Generation MRI is located at 1700 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 150, in West Palm Beach. For more information, call (561) WPB-1700 (561-972-1700) or visit www.nexgenmri.com.