HVRA: Patient Focused and in the Community

Dr. Conrad Ehrlich is passionate about his business. He is the Medical Director of Housatonic Valley Radiological Associates (HVRA), a full-service outpatient diagnostic imaging facility that has been in business for over 30 years with offices in Danbury, New Milford, and Southbury. Dr. Ehrlich is Board Certified in Diagnostic Radiology (1983), Nuclear Medicine (1981), and Internal Medicine (1979). He is also fellowship trained in CT scanning and Ultrasound. He developed an interest in nuclear medicine in medical school, but believed that he should first be board certified in internal medicine. While training in nuclear medicine at the Harvard Joint Program, the field of radiology exploded with the advent of CT or "CAT" scanning, sparking a fascination in him.

He then began his radiology training at the Beth Israel Hospital (Harvard Program) in Boston where he was also Fellowship trained in CT Scanning and Ultrasound. Recently, Dr. Ehrlich was nominated by his peers and recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a top doctor in radiology. He reads over 6,000 mammograms annually, well beyond the FDA requirement of 480 mammograms per year.

A major concern of Dr. Ehrlich is the lack of price transparency, and the lack of choice offered to patients, especially as hospitals keep buying up doctors' practices, and driving up prices. With deductibles getting higher and higher these days, patients are shocked when they receive their bills, and find out how much they have to pay out of pocket. He believes that it is every patient's right to be told upfront what an exam will cost, where it is available, and that they have the right to choose where to go, before it is scheduled, so that the patient can make better decisions about where to go for care. "HVRA's focus is on quality, affordability, price transparency, convenience, and really treating each patient individually, which sets us apart from conglomerate-style hospital institutions," said Dr. Ehrlich. HVRA's prices are generally a fraction of hospital prices. Why? Dr. Ehrlich says that hospital monopolies use their leverage over insurance companies to force them to pay higher prices, which they in turn pass along to patients and employers. He suggests that if patients call their hospital ahead of time, find out what their exam will cost, and then compare it to HVRA, they will be pleasantly surprised.

HVRA's services include walk-in general diagnostic x-rays without an appointment; all different types of ultrasound including echocardiography and vascular exams; digital mammography; CT scans; MRI; fluoroscopy; bone densitometry; as well as outpatient biopsies. HVRA works closely with Yale Diagnostic Radiology, allowing it to offer real time subspecialty readings in neuroradiology, musculoskeletal, and body imaging via its teleradiology network. All of HVRA's offices are connected electronically, so that their doctors are able to securely access and share a patient study from another office, and with other physicians. HVRA's office in New Milford is conveniently located in the same medical complex as many other doctors, adjacent to New Milford Orthopedics Associates' office.

HVRA provides free diagnostic imaging to all patients of Kevin's Community Center (KCC) in Newtown, as well as discounted services to patients based upon federal poverty guidelines. According to Dr. Ehrlich, "We are deeply rooted in the community, and have been for a long time. We are proud to be known for quality, affordability, convenience, and personal service."

For more info, contact one of their offices:

HVRA Main Office: 67 Sand Pit Road, Danbury; 203-797-1770. HVRA Southbury Imaging: 800 Main Street South, Suite 116, Southbury; 203-262-6797. HVRA New Milford: 131 Kent Road, Building A (bottom of hill, Suite 102), New Milford; 860-355-4212. Check out HVRA's website here, and visit their Facebook page here.