February 14, 2018 — The Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) and Canon Medical Systems recently announced the tenth annual Putting Patients First grant winners, which include one grant of up to $20,000 to an integrated delivery network (IDN) and six grants of up to $7,500. The later group includes three grants focused on pediatric imaging, and three on overall patient care and safety in imaging. The program makes it possible for healthcare providers to fund education and training programs to improve the patient experience and safety in diagnostic imaging.
“The Putting Patients First grants allow healthcare providers to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care through critical programs, training or seminars within diagnostic imaging,” said Angelic Bush, CRA, FAHRA, president, AHRA. “The success of the programs and educational tools from previous winners over the past decade shows what can be achieved with these grants and provides best practices to share with other hospitals and institutions.”
The IDN grant has been awarded to:
- Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) will add in-bore lighting and a cinematic projector to help ease pediatric patients’ and parents’ anxiety during imaging exams and potentially eliminate the use of anesthesia
Pediatric grants have been awarded to:
- Altru Health System (Grand Forks, N.D.) will create educational materials to explain the imaging process to families, enhance room appearance with calm lighting and artwork, and provide visual diversions with projected images on the walls and ceilings to make imaging exams more comfortable for pediatric patients;
- Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundation (Omaha, Neb.) can expand its 3-D Printing Program, which will allow physicians to more effectively and safely treat heart defects, with better visualization of pediatric patients’ hearts with 3-D models; and
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (Los Angeles) will complete and publish a study to improve the understanding of the role of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) following transabdominal ultrasound as an ideal noninvasive tool without the use of ionizing radiation for pediatric patients.
Overall patient care and safety grants have been awarded to:
- CARTI Cancer Center (Little Rock, Ark.) will fund blanket warmers for all patients undergoing exams in cool imaging rooms to provide comfort and reduce the need to use valium, so that clinicians can capture better images and avoid repeat exams;
- Nemaha Valley Community Hospital (Seneca, Kan.) will purchase a portable ultrasound unit, to be shared between its outpatient clinic and OB and ER departments, to help physicians evaluate fetal heartbeats or check fetal positioning quickly; and
- UT Health: The University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston) will create educational videos that provide patients with accurate information relating to the procedures they are about to undergo, to reduce anxiety and help them to be prepared.
Click here for a complete list of the 64 Putting Patients First grant winners.
For more information: www.ahra.org, www.us.medical.canon
Related Patient Engagement Content
Patients Lack Information About Imaging Exams
VIDEO: Critical Issues in Radiology Administration
May 04, 2026 
