LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Over the past several weeks, a number of viewers have reached out to Channel 13 with similar concerns: long waits for medical imaging and ultrasound results from Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging, one of the Las Vegas valley’s longest-standing imaging providers.
Some patients say they waited weeks for answers while dealing with serious medical concerns, mounting stress and delayed follow-up appointments.
For SDMI patients Starr Switzer and Ike Moses, the hardest part was the uncertainty.
“I don't want to sit at home wondering what's wrong with me,” Switzer said. “Nobody should have to do that.”
Moses described the emotional toll of waiting for answers.
“The stress of every day, waiting and waiting and waiting, trying to find out, do I have a tumor? Do I have cancer? I can’t find anything out,” he said.
Switzer said her experience began with severe pain shooting down her right leg.
“I was having burning pain down my right leg, to the point where it was very difficult to walk at times,” she said.
Switzer underwent imaging at SDMI on Aug. 27. She said she did not receive results until Sept. 14, nearly three weeks later.
“It’s very scary, because you’re in pain,” Switzer said. “You don’t know what’s causing the pain, and you basically can’t even sleep at night.”
She said she repeatedly called SDMI while waiting for answers.
“I was calling and calling, trying to find out what my results were, and they just kept telling me, ‘It’ll be a few more days,’” Switzer said. “The first lady told me two to five weeks.”
Switzer said she later learned she would need to see a vascular specialist. But she said the experience was noticeably different earlier this year.
“In January, I got my results in a couple of days,” she said.
For Moses, the concern centered around a possible recurring tumor.
Moses said he had a parathyroid tumor removed in 2024. When new lab work raised concerns about another possible mass this year, doctors ordered additional imaging through SDMI.
“How long did you have to wait for the most recent scan that you just did at Steinberg Diagnostics?” I asked Moses.
“Twenty-eight days,” he said.
Documents reviewed by Channel 13 confirmed the timeline Moses described. He said the delay added stress to an already serious medical situation.
“The calcium in my blood is too high,” Moses said. “That puts a strain on the heart, on pretty much the whole body.”
While Moses waited for answers, his wife Lily worried about what might happen next.
“She’s definitely been worried about me,” Moses said. “Every time I have a problem, she’s like, ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’”
Channel 13 received at least seven separate complaints from viewers describing similar concerns involving delayed imaging reports from SDMI.
Among them was Susan Hargrove, who wrote:
If Steinberg Diagnostics is unable to offer a timely turnaround service, they should not be creating such a backlog with their imaging appointments.”
Another viewer, Rita Rosenberg, wrote:
“They are taking over a month to send results of testing to physicians. In some cases these results can be life or death.”
Channel 13 first reported on concerns involving turnaround times at SDMI in 2024, before Steinberg Diagnostics was acquired by Intermountain Health earlier this year.
However, several patients who contacted Channel 13 said they believe delays have become more noticeable in recent months.
In a statement to Channel 13, Intermountain Health said the following:
“We know waiting for imaging results can be stressful, and we understand the concern and frustration these delays have caused patients and their families.
Like many healthcare organizations across the country, Southern Nevada continues to face a significant shortage of radiologists. Since Intermountain Health’s acquisition of SDMI, we have taken aggressive steps to expand imaging-reading capacity and improve turnaround times.
Five additional radiologists are actively reading studies, another physician is expected to begin this week, and 13 more are in the final stages of licensing, credentialing, and privileging. Our Nevada radiology partner has also adjusted its staffing to increase capacity and support faster interpretation of imaging studies.
These efforts are already making a difference. Since mid-August, the number of studies awaiting interpretation has decreased by approximately 46%, and we expect continued improvement as additional radiologists come on board in the coming weeks.
Every imaging study continues to be reviewed by a qualified radiologist, and patient safety remains our highest priority. Patients with questions about the status of an imaging study can contact SDMI's patient services team at comments@sdmi-lv.com. Patients experiencing new or worsening symptoms should contact their healthcare provider, and referring physicians with urgent clinical concerns can contact SDMI’s physician support team.”
Patients like Switzer and Moses hope speaking out leads to changes for future patients.
“You’re stressed the whole time,” Switzer said. “You don’t know what’s going on.”
“I hope that this gets the message to them,” Moses said, “and hopefully it’ll change that policy and get the images to the doctor.”
A couple other medical imaging providers in Southern Nevada told Channel 13 they typically return results within about 72 hours, depending on the type of scan.
They also recommend patients experiencing long delays contact their insurance provider to see what other imaging facilities are covered under their plan and speak with their doctor about possible alternatives.
