CommonSpirit Health has temporarily paused some outpatient imaging services at its Tennessee and North Georgia facilities as it works to resolve ongoing radiology delays tied to a transition to a new radiology services provider.
The health system announced Monday that software issues related to the integration of the new provider have contributed to delays in reviewing imaging studies.
According to CommonSpirit, the temporary pause is intended to help reduce the backlog, speed the review of imaging exams and ensure patients with the most urgent medical needs receive priority.
Hospital officials said patients whose appointments are affected will be contacted directly to reschedule.
The pause applies only to certain outpatient imaging services. CommonSpirit said cardiology imaging, mammography services and related procedures will continue as scheduled for both inpatient and outpatient patients.
The announcement follows an update issued just days earlier in which the health system acknowledged that radiology delays were affecting appointment availability for some imaging scans and increasing wait times for others. At that time, CommonSpirit said it was reviewing every case to prioritize emergency and urgent needs while working to restore normal operations.
In a statement, the health system apologized for the disruption and said it is dedicating all available resources to resolve the issue while maintaining patient safety.
CommonSpirit has not announced when the temporary pause on some outpatient imaging services will end.
Patients with questions about upcoming appointments are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or imaging location directly.