Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Handbook 7610 (276)
Washington, DC 20420
June 2006
interventional procedures, and administration are clustered around two or more
processing, viewing, and film library facilities.
3. Diagnostic rooms, processing functions, staff workstations, and staff support space
should be organized contiguous to a centralized hub element for convenient staff
circulation.
4. Common viewing, multi-viewing, and film library should be arranged to operate as
one functional unit within the Radiology Suite.
F. The following considerations should be applied when planning the radiology rooms:
1. Rooms used for quick-turnaround, high-volume routine examinations (chest,
abdomen, extremities, etc.) should be located closest to the reception and patient
waiting areas or building access point to decrease patient travel time / distance and
increase staff responsiveness.
2. Procedure rooms for longer more time-consuming procedures (Ultrasound, MRI,
etc.) or low volume may be somewhat removed. Procedure rooms for special
procedures (interventional, etc.), which require a long-duration examination, may be
further from the reception area.
3. All rooms are sized to provide space to facilitate transfer of patient from stretcher to
table/equipment.
4. Radiology/Fluoroscopy/(Tomography) can be grouped together as they utilize
similar support areas. The space and configuration of the Radiographic and
Radiographic/Fluoroscopic (R/F) rooms are the same. This allows for future
conversion of Radiographic Rooms to R/F rooms and also allows for installation of
new technologies which may develop in the future.
5. CT areas should be co-located adjacent to PET/CT areas in Nuclear Medicine in
order to facilitate the use of both CT techs and Nuclear Medicine techs.
6. CT, MRI, Interventional Radiology and a designated number of radiology rooms
need to have an emergency power supply to complete in-process procedures and
permit safe egress of patients.
7. Ultrasound and Mammography are often collocated to share patient privacy
concerns, patient intake and support spaces.
8. Ultrasound and Mammography rooms should have designated dressing rooms,
gowned waiting area and patient toilet rooms immediately adjacent to rooms to
facilitate patient privacy.
9. All diagnostic rooms shall be provided with a ceiling support system in accordance
with applicable Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Standard CAD Details. Clear
finished ceiling height will be in accordance with the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) Design and Construction Procedures PG-18-3.
10. Warning lights above diagnostic room entrances are required to meet safety
regulations.
Radiology Service (Chapter 276): Page 22 of 28
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