Lewis-Gale Medical Center is looking to open a new outpatient imaging center in Roanoke for patients seeking CT scans and MRIs without having to make a trip to the hospital.

Another independent imaging company, the Center for Advanced Imaging, also plans to expand its diagnostic offerings in Roanoke by adding a third MRI machine to its outpatient office on Franklin Road.

While both requests are months away from approval, each company made its plans formal last week by submitting letters of intent to the Virginia Department of Health.

The request must receive approval from the state for a certificate of public need (which often entails a lengthy bureaucratic process), several levels of review and at least one public hearing. Final approval is granted by the state health commissioner.

According to its letter, Lewis-Gale is looking to relocate one in-use CT, or computerized tomography, scanner and one magnetic resonance imaging machine from its hospital in Salem.

Spokeswoman Nancy May said hospital officials are still working on an exact location and planned opening date. Lewis-Gale currently has two CT scanners, which produce highly detailed, 3-D images of the body, in operation at its Salem hospital with plans to launch a third in late March.

It also has three MRI machines in use at the medical center, she said. MRIs are used to create cross-sectional images of inside the body.

Lewis-Gale is also competing with Carilion Clinic to be the first to offer CT scanning in the fast-growing suburbs of Botetourt County. Both hospital systems have submitted certificate of public need requests to the state and are waiting to hear a decision from the health commissioner.

May said a new outpatient imaging center in Roanoke would offer better and more convenient diagnostic services for its patients, which come from all over Southwest Virginia.

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is the current market leader for such imaging services, providing nearly twice as many CT scans as Lewis-Gale in 2007 and almost triple the number of MRIs in 2006, according to data from Virginia Health Information.

Carilion also offers outpatient imaging, including CT scans and MRIs, at its patient service center on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke.

Martin Hellkamp, president of the Center for Advanced Imaging, said the addition of a third MRI machine would help the business serve more patients and keep its reimbursement revenues from Medicare on par with area hospitals.

"For us to maintain our level of business, we have to add more capacity. That's just to stay even for the cutback in reimbursements," said Hellkamp, whose center also offers outpatient CT scans.

In regard to Lewis-Gale's plans, Hellkamp questioned the need for a third outpatient imaging center in the Roanoke Valley, saying the current inventory is sufficient and that the move by Lewis-Gale is an attempt to siphon business from his operation.

"There is no reason for them to do this but to gain market share," he said.