Beaufort Memorial Island Imaging Center, located at 40 Palmetto Parkway, offers a full range of screening and diagnostic imaging services, including computed tomography (CT) and 3D mammography.
Non-profit hospital acquires Island Imaging
When you step into Beaufort Memorial’s Island Imaging Center on the north end of Hilton Head Island, you are immediately greeted by smiling staff members and a comfortable, welcoming environment. In other words, exactly what thousands of the center’s patients have long been accustomed to experiencing—and one that will continue under new ownership with Beaufort Memorial, which takes effect October 1.
It was a priority for Drs. Estle and Shapiro that any potential partner retained and took good care of their employees.
“When we moved to this center in 2013, we had a vision for what type of practice we wanted to have and how we wanted our staff and our patients to feel about the care we provided,” said Dr. Patricia Shapiro, who founded and co-owned the practice with partner Dr. David Estle.
“We also knew there was a need to provide high-quality and customer-centered services to physicians and patients,” Estle said. “So that’s what we focused on delivering.”
The two doctors concentrated on providing state-of-the-art technology and services to meet the needs of the providers and residents of Hilton Head Island. Today, the center offers a full range of screening and diagnostic imaging services, including 3D mammography, computed tomography (CT) for cardiac and lung screenings, and fluoroscopy to detect gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, they offer the area’s only ultrasound-guided elastography, a noninvasive screening for early liver disease and cirrhosis.
“We both lived in Hilton Head, and we wanted to be good neighbors to our community and to the local physicians,” Shapiro said.
In line with that sense of community, they created a relationship with Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), a not-for-profit medical clinic with offices in Hilton Head and Bluffton that provides free and low-cost care to the community’s most vulnerable patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
In the 10 years prior to joining Beaufort Memorial, Island Imaging provided more than $1 million in free mammograms—2,000 of them—as well as reduced cost imaging services, to patients in Hilton Head and Bluffton. That type of relationship aligns with the nature of partnerships Beaufort Memorial has with Good Neighbor Medical Clinic and AccessHealth Lowcountry in Beaufort. Each year, patients of those two nonprofits receive nearly 250 free imaging procedures from Beaufort Memorial, among many other services.
“One of the first meetings we had after announcing the acquisition of Island Imaging was with the leadership at VIM,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. “Community partnerships that work toward our goals of improving the quality of life and overall health in the Lowcountry are very important to us.”
Enter Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Over the past year, Drs. Shapiro and Estle began soliciting and interviewing interested buyers for Island Imaging. “We had a very specific list of criteria for any potential owner, and we were not going to waiver on any part of it,” Estle said.
Among the list of requirements: retaining and taking good care of their 15 employees; honoring the existing contract with VIM with no changes in services; and, maintaining the practice at its current location, as-is, for the convenience of local patients.
“We met with several potential buyers, but none of them shared our vision and our values,” Shapiro said. “We weren’t in a hurry, nor did we need to sell to anyone, so we took our time to find the right fit.”
Beaufort Memorial President & CEO Russell Baxley with Island Imaging founders David Estle, M.D. and Patricia Shapiro, M.D.
The two partners emphasized their desire to preserve the things that make their practice special, and what that meant in terms of how they viewed each potential suitor. Most important was choosing a partner who supported their mission and would continue to honor the years-long relationships Estle and Shapiro have nurtured among providers, patients and their employees while expanding care to meet the ever-growing needs of island residents.
“Drs. Shapiro and Estle contacted us about their interest in partnering with us. We were happy to answer that call,” Baxley said. “We saw that our mission and values aligned perfectly, and we were eager to make it happen.”
In terms of meeting the needs of the growing population both on and off the island, both parties agree that there is still much work to be done. “We have excellent physicians on the island, but there are not enough to provide care for all the area residents. As the population has grown, the number of providers has not kept up,” Shapiro said. “We have watched Beaufort Memorial’s growth and their commitment to bringing more providers and services to the community, and we want that for our patients, friends and neighbors.”
Baxley is no stranger to meeting the health care needs of growing communities. “In general, we know there is a shortage of primary care,” he said. “And as you can see from the number of new Beaufort Memorial providers we’ve announced recently, we’ve been working hard to expand primary care and specialty care—especially cancer care. We know this is important to everyone, including the residents of Hilton Head Island.”
Shapiro is optimistic that the supportive and collaborative nature of their relationships combined with Beaufort Memorial’s reputation and resources will translate into more and better care for the entire community. “I hope Island Imaging is a seed to allow Beaufort Memorial to expand into the community and augment the care that is being provided here,” she said.
“We’re honored and excited to have the team at Island Imaging in the Beaufort Memorial family,” Baxley said. “This is a solid first step toward expanding access and services for Hilton Head Island providers and their patients.”
To learn more about Beaufort Memorial Island Imaging Center, visit To schedule an appointment, call (843) 522-5015.
