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Our History

A Look at the history of Radiology Ltd.

Current

2022

Radiology Ltd. adds MRI to the Rincon Imaging Center and opens Radiology Ltd. Alvernon in Central Tucson with a new, advanced, interventional radiology suite. Online scheduling capabilities including a mobile platform to add convenience to the patient’s experience.

2021

A second location in Green Valley opens with the addition of Radiology Ltd. Casa Verde and expansion continues to west Tucson with the addition of Radiology Ltd. St. Mary’s Medical Plaza.

Radiology Ltd. Casa Verde Building

2020's

Radiology Ltd. begins providing exclusive radiology services to Benson Hospital and Northern Cochise Community Hospital offering greater degree of sub-specialized care to Southern Arizonans.

2019

Radiology Ltd. Continental opens in Green Valley, expanding the Southern Arizona footprint.

2016

Radiology Ltd. is proud to offer Tucson patients the newest 3T open-bore MRI in our community.

2010's

In 2014, the addition of 3D mammography, or tomosynthesis, is brought to the Wilmot and La Cholla sites. This offers women another tool in the detection of breast cancer. We also became the first practice in southern Arizona to offer NeuroQuant® Brain MRI, a quantitative brain image analysis tool. In 2016, Radiology Ltd. was proud to offer Tucson patients the newest 3 Tesla (3T) open-bore Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the community. 3T MRI allows for exceptional visualization of smaller anatomical structures.

2009

We opened Midvale Imaging Center, bringing advanced imaging to southwest Tucson.

2008

Radiology Ltd. – Carondelet opens on the St. Joseph’s Hospital campus.

2000s

The 2000s brought expansion to Radiology Ltd. In 2003, our Rancho Vistoso center opened in Oro Valley. We also began to offer full-field digital mammography to Tucson. In 2004, the Wilmot office opens as the nation’s largest fully digital imaging center, and we also opened the doors to our La Cholla center. In 2006, our Camp Lowell Imaging Center opens and offers CT/PET services.

1999

Radiology Ltd. becomes the first practice in Tucson to provide interventional neuroradiology services.

1990

St. Joseph’s Imaging Center (SJIC) opens and brings MRI to St. Joseph’s Hospital.

1990s

In 1990, Northwest Diagnostic Imaging (NWDI) brings MRI to Northwest Hospital. St. Joseph’s Imaging Center opens and brings MRI to St. Joseph’s Hospital. In 1999, Tucson Imaging Associates expands and adds Tucson’s first open MRI. NWDI begins to offer breast MRI. Radiology Ltd. becomes a progressive technology leader in the community, by being the first practice in Tucson to implement PACS, a picture archiving and communication system. Radiology Ltd. becomes the first practice in Tucson to provide interventional neuroradiology services.

1980s

By the 1980s, MRI was the next advancement in radiology and Radiology Ltd. helped bring it to Tucson.  TMC acquired the first MRI machine in southern Arizona in the 1980s, and those scans were again read exclusively in Tucson by Radiology Ltd. physicians.

1976

In 1976, the practice began to perform diagnostic ultrasound.  Once again, Radiology Ltd.’s doctors were on the cutting-edge of medical technology advancement; something that holds true to this very day.  Despite the advances in medical imaging, on-call doctors who traveled between St. Mary’s, TMC, and St. Joseph’s Hospitals had only a pager and pocketful of quarters for pay phones to keep in touch.

Evelyn Nash, R.T. (1974)

1975

TMC acquired the first CT scanner in southern Arizona – exams read exclusively by Radiology Ltd.

Donald Jeck M.D. (1975)

1970s

At the dawn of the 1970s, developments in radiological technology were in full swing. During this time, the group officially became known as Radiology Ltd. and continued to expand to keep pace with the community, also servicing El Dorado Hospital.  In 1971, Drs. Jean-Paul Bierny and Ed Roth joined the group, Dr. Jim Stewart came in 1973, Dr. Robert Schweizer joined in 1974, and Drs. Steven Strober and Donald Jeck were added in 1975.  In 1975, Tucson Medical Center acquired the first CT scanner in southern Arizona. This breakthrough imaging technology created exams read exclusively in Tucson by Radiology Ltd. physicians.

1960s

In the early 1960s, with the construction of the new St. Joseph’s Hospital, the group further expanded their service to the Tucson medical community. As the 1960’s progressed, the specialty of radiology was rapidly expanding beyond mere X-rays, and it was necessary for the group to recruit younger physicians who had been trained in what were then referred to as “special procedures,” now known as Interventional Radiology. The partnership, then called the Hayden-Present Group, continued to grow throughout the decade, adding Drs. Robert Johnson, Robert Broome, Lee Taylor, Newell Richardson, and Norman Komar.

1946

As Dr. Hayden’s practice grew he expanded and Dr. Arthur Present joined the practice.

Herbert D. Welsh, M.D. (1948)

1933

Dr. Edward Hayden began his own radiology practice.

The Beginning

Dr. Edward Hayden was a 1925 graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School, and completed post-graduate work in diagnostic X-ray at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and at Stanford University. He was primarily responsible for the X-ray department at the Desert Sanatorium (now known as Tucson Medical Center). He entered private practice in 1933, but remained contracted with the Desert Sanatorium to interpret X-rays. By 1939, Dr. Hayden occupied shared office space at 115 South Stone Avenue, where he had an active X-ray, radium, and pathology practice.

In 1946, Dr. Arthur Present joined Dr. Hayden’s burgeoning radiology practice. As Tucson’s medical needs grew, so did their radiology group. By 1959, they had moved to a new location at 1603 North Tucson Boulevard, and had grown to eight radiologists, including: Drs. Herbert David (Dave) Welsh, Walter T. Hileman, John A. Wilson, Frank Goodrich, André Bruwer, and James Nauman. Their partnership had contracts with St. Mary’s Hospital, Tucson Medical Center, and the Southern Pacific Hospital. In addition, the group’s radiologists worked part-time at the Pima County Hospital. The radiologists also consulted periodically at the Veterans’ Hospital and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Dr. Nauman recalls his daily walks through town from the office to the hospital wearing the red accommodation goggles that prepared his eyes for fluoroscopy exams—something that must have presented quite a spectacle in Tucson! Other doctors were known to wear these red fluoroscopy goggles during their drive to the hospital.