MR-guided focused ultrasound offers patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease an incisionless treatment option, but launching a program depends on more than adopting the technology.
More than 7.5 million Americans live with essential tremor and another 1 million live with Parkinson’s disease, according to the International Essential Tremor Foundation and the Parkinson’s Foundation. Corewell Health set out to bring MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) into a community hospital setting so patients wouldn’t have to travel far for care.
This whitepaper outlines Corewell’s first-year blueprint for building its MRgFUS program. The report details the planning, team structure and lessons learned across three pillars: patient, procedure and practice.
Key takeaways:
- Why a dedicated program navigator and a multidisciplinary care team are central to a patient-centered journey
- How early alignment, from hospital executives to schedulers, helps avoid common startup delays
- How Corewell is working to free up MRI time for MRgFUS as demand grows
- Why planning for growth, staffing and reimbursement should begin at launch, not after demand outpaces capacity