Articles · October 16, 2026 · 5 min read

How to choose an imaging center in El Paso: what to check

Looking for the best imaging center in El Paso? Check the exam, location, hours, accreditation and who reads it, and how Desert Imaging answers each.

Looking for the best imaging center in El Paso? The right one is the one that does your exact exam, near you, at hours you can make, with a board-certified radiologist reading it. Desert Imaging runs five outpatient centers in El Paso and Horizon City, is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and its West and East centers are open weekdays until 10 p.m. and Saturdays until 9.

No single center is best for every exam and every patient. These are the questions worth asking any imaging center before you book, each with the answer for Desert Imaging so you can check it.

Does it do your exam at a center near you?

Look at your doctor's order, then ask which location does that exact exam. Not every center offers everything.

Desert Imaging has five centers, from the west side out to Horizon City:

West, 122 W. Castellano Dr., El Paso
Central, 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, Suite 120, El Paso
East, 1727 Lee Trevino Dr., El Paso
Joe Battle, 3080 Joe Battle Blvd., Suite B, El Paso
Horizon City, 13650 Eastlake Blvd., Suite A-102, Horizon City

MRI is at West and East. PET/CT and nuclear medicine are at Central. 3D mammography is at West, East, Joe Battle and Horizon City. The full list by exam is in which Desert Imaging center does your exam, and each center has its own page with a map under Locations.

Is it accredited?

Ask whether the center is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and for which kinds of exams.

Desert Imaging is accredited by the American College of Radiology, including its ultrasound accreditation in obstetric, gynecologic, general and vascular ultrasound.

Who reads your images?

The pictures are taken by a technologist, but a radiologist reads them and writes the report your doctor uses. Ask whether that radiologist is board certified, and in what field.

Desert Imaging studies are read by four board-certified radiologists based in El Paso, each of whom meets the requirements of the American College of Radiology and the State of Texas:

Nassim Akle, M.D., interventional radiology and neuroradiology
Hugo Isuani, M.D., general radiology and mammography
Gustavo Isuani, M.D., neuroradiology
Sandro Parisi, M.D., body and musculoskeletal imaging

Their profiles are on our radiologists page.

What equipment will you be scanned on?

Ask what machine your exam is done on. It matters most for MRI if small spaces make you nervous, and for mammography.

MRI: a 3-Tesla wide-bore magnet with a 75 cm opening at West, plus 1.5-Tesla magnets at West and East.
Mammography: every mammogram is 3D, on Hologic Selenia Dimensions systems with the Genius 3D Mammography exam, at West, East, Joe Battle and Horizon City. The same system rides on the mobile unit, Mammos on the Move.
CT: 16-slice scanners at West and East.
PET/CT: an 80-slice PET/CT scanner at Central, also used for CT and CT angiography.

Can you get in when it suits you?

Ask about evening and weekend hours, and how soon you can be seen.

Desert Imaging West and East are open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Joe Battle and Horizon City are also open Saturdays, and Central is open weekdays; call (915) 577-0100 for the hours at those three. Same-day and next-day appointments are available at most locations.

How do results reach you and your doctor?

Ask how the report gets to your doctor, whether you can read it yourself, and how you get your images.

At Desert Imaging, the radiologist's report goes to the doctor who ordered your exam and appears in your patient portal. Give us your email address at your visit, and you get a registration email once your study has been read. Mammogram reports usually reach your doctor within 24 to 48 hours. Images are shared through PocketHealth instead of a CD, and the basic plan is free. The details are on your results and images.

What will it cost?

Ask whether the center takes your plan, whether your exam needs prior authorization, and what the price is if you pay yourself.

Desert Imaging accepts most major health plans and checks your coverage before your exam. Some plans ask for prior authorization for MRI, CT, PET/CT and nuclear medicine. Private-pay rates are available for every exam; ask for the rate when you book. Payment is accepted by cash, check, money order, all major credit cards and CareCredit, and balances over $200 can go on a zero-interest payment plan. See insurance and payment, and for MRI, how much an MRI costs in El Paso without insurance.

What do patients say?

On Google, Desert Imaging West was rated 4.9 across 2,877 reviews on September 21, 2026. Read what patients wrote, not just the score, and look for the things on this list: how long the wait was, how the exam was explained, how fast the results came.

Two Google reviews of West, quoted as written. Diamondback Dave: "Fastest MRI I have ever had, from entry to exit with two separate MRI's ran it was an hour. Staff very courteous and scheduled me as soon as they could with my current job situation and on a Saturday." Myrna G: "I always choose Desert Imaging for my medical imaging needs because they make scheduling so easy. They offer evening and weekend appointments, which work perfectly with my busy schedule."

Our reviews page quotes more public Google reviews as written, with the reviewer's public display name.

Questions

Do I need a doctor's order? For most exams, yes. Bring the order your doctor gave you, or ask their office to send it to us.

Can I request a screening mammogram myself? Yes. Fill in our mammography self-request form and bring it, or ask when you book. A diagnostic mammogram needs an order from your doctor.

How long has Desert Imaging been in El Paso? Since 2002. Desert Imaging opened on February 14, 2002.

What should I bring? Your doctor's order, your insurance card, a photo ID, and payment for any self-pay amount or deductible due at the time of service. Please arrive 15 minutes early.

Ready to book

Call (915) 577-0100 or request an appointment online. Bring your doctor's order and we take it from there.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Follow the instructions your doctor and our staff give you for your exam.

Ready to book?

Request an appointment online or call (915) 577-0100. Bring your doctor's order and we take it from there.

Request an appointment Call (915) 577-0100

# How to choose an imaging center in El Paso: what to check

*Looking for the best imaging center in El Paso? Check the exam, location, hours, accreditation and who reads it, and how Desert Imaging answers each.*

October 16, 2026 · Desert Imaging

Looking for the best imaging center in El Paso? The right one is the one that does your exact exam, near you, at hours you can make, with a board-certified radiologist reading it. Desert Imaging runs five outpatient centers in El Paso and Horizon City, is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and its West and East centers are open weekdays until 10 p.m. and Saturdays until 9.

No single center is best for every exam and every patient. These are the questions worth asking any imaging center before you book, each with the answer for Desert Imaging so you can check it.

## Does it do your exam at a center near you?

Look at your doctor's order, then ask which location does that exact exam. Not every center offers everything.

Desert Imaging has five centers, from the west side out to Horizon City:

- West, 122 W. Castellano Dr., El Paso
- Central, 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, Suite 120, El Paso
- East, 1727 Lee Trevino Dr., El Paso
- Joe Battle, 3080 Joe Battle Blvd., Suite B, El Paso
- Horizon City, 13650 Eastlake Blvd., Suite A-102, Horizon City

MRI is at West and East. PET/CT and nuclear medicine are at Central. 3D mammography is at West, East, Joe Battle and Horizon City. The full list by exam is in [which Desert Imaging center does your exam](/blog/which-desert-imaging-center-does-your-exam), and each center has its own page with a map under [Locations](/locations).

## Is it accredited?

Ask whether the center is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and for which kinds of exams.

Desert Imaging is accredited by the American College of Radiology, including its ultrasound accreditation in obstetric, gynecologic, general and vascular ultrasound.

## Who reads your images?

The pictures are taken by a technologist, but a radiologist reads them and writes the report your doctor uses. Ask whether that radiologist is board certified, and in what field.

Desert Imaging studies are read by four board-certified radiologists based in El Paso, each of whom meets the requirements of the American College of Radiology and the State of Texas:

- Nassim Akle, M.D., interventional radiology and neuroradiology
- Hugo Isuani, M.D., general radiology and mammography
- Gustavo Isuani, M.D., neuroradiology
- Sandro Parisi, M.D., body and musculoskeletal imaging

Their profiles are on [our radiologists page](/about/radiologists).

## What equipment will you be scanned on?

Ask what machine your exam is done on. It matters most for MRI if small spaces make you nervous, and for mammography.

- MRI: a 3-Tesla wide-bore magnet with a 75 cm opening at West, plus 1.5-Tesla magnets at West and East.
- Mammography: every mammogram is 3D, on Hologic Selenia Dimensions systems with the Genius 3D Mammography exam, at West, East, Joe Battle and Horizon City. The same system rides on the mobile unit, Mammos on the Move.
- CT: 16-slice scanners at West and East.
- PET/CT: an 80-slice PET/CT scanner at Central, also used for CT and CT angiography.

## Can you get in when it suits you?

Ask about evening and weekend hours, and how soon you can be seen.

Desert Imaging West and East are open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Joe Battle and Horizon City are also open Saturdays, and Central is open weekdays; call (915) 577-0100 for the hours at those three. Same-day and next-day appointments are available at most locations.

## How do results reach you and your doctor?

Ask how the report gets to your doctor, whether you can read it yourself, and how you get your images.

At Desert Imaging, the radiologist's report goes to the doctor who ordered your exam and appears in your patient portal. Give us your email address at your visit, and you get a registration email once your study has been read. Mammogram reports usually reach your doctor within 24 to 48 hours. Images are shared through PocketHealth instead of a CD, and the basic plan is free. The details are on [your results and images](/patients/records).

## What will it cost?

Ask whether the center takes your plan, whether your exam needs prior authorization, and what the price is if you pay yourself.

Desert Imaging accepts most major health plans and checks your coverage before your exam. Some plans ask for prior authorization for MRI, CT, PET/CT and nuclear medicine. Private-pay rates are available for every exam; ask for the rate when you book. Payment is accepted by cash, check, money order, all major credit cards and CareCredit, and balances over $200 can go on a zero-interest payment plan. See [insurance and payment](/patients/insurance), and for MRI, [how much an MRI costs in El Paso without insurance](/blog/how-much-does-an-mri-cost-in-el-paso-without-insurance).

## What do patients say?

On Google, Desert Imaging West was rated 4.9 across 2,877 reviews on September 21, 2026. Read what patients wrote, not just the score, and look for the things on this list: how long the wait was, how the exam was explained, how fast the results came.

Two Google reviews of West, quoted as written. Diamondback Dave: "Fastest MRI I have ever had, from entry to exit with two separate MRI's ran it was an hour. Staff very courteous and scheduled me as soon as they could with my current job situation and on a Saturday." Myrna G: "I always choose Desert Imaging for my medical imaging needs because they make scheduling so easy. They offer evening and weekend appointments, which work perfectly with my busy schedule."

Our [reviews page](/reviews) quotes more public Google reviews as written, with the reviewer's public display name.

## Questions

**Do I need a doctor's order?** For most exams, yes. Bring the order your doctor gave you, or ask their office to send it to us.

**Can I request a screening mammogram myself?** Yes. Fill in our mammography self-request form and bring it, or ask when you book. A diagnostic mammogram needs an order from your doctor.

**How long has Desert Imaging been in El Paso?** Since 2002. Desert Imaging opened on February 14, 2002.

**What should I bring?** Your doctor's order, your insurance card, a photo ID, and payment for any self-pay amount or deductible due at the time of service. Please arrive 15 minutes early.

## Ready to book

Call (915) 577-0100 or [request an appointment online](https://eforms.abbadox.com/240384671438865). Bring your doctor's order and we take it from there.