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Hospitals Demand Feedback About Computed Radiography

by Bradley Rose, Senior Designer | May 29, 2008
Responding to healthcare provider demand for feedback on direct user experiences with CR systems and vendors, KLAS Is investigating single-cassette, also known as single-plate, computed radiography (CR) in a groundbreaking study.

KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors.Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry.

CR equipment is a sizable market as a result of PACS technology. However, the potential high costs associated with digital radiography (DR) systems casts a spell of uncertainty over its widespread use. Nearly 60 percent of the images acquired in hospitals come from x-ray. Proponents say converting x-ray images to digital media for image capture and storage is a way for radiology departments and imaging centers to enhance workflow efficiency and control long-term cost.

But some healthcare facilities are unable to justify the jump to DR in the face of technology limitations and budgetary constraints. These facilities may consist of smaller output clinics, rural hospitals, or radiology departments with low volumes. In these cases, the interim step of CR is a viable option and makes up a significant portion of the radiography equipment available on today's market.

For the study, KLAS spoke with more than 140 individual healthcare professionals about the products and vendors they utilize to get a better picture of the market's strengths and weaknesses. Respondents rated their products and vendors with an average performance score of 88 out of 100. Among the questions KLAS asked were whether providers felt that they received their money's worth, if CR implementation was within budget, and if the support costs for CR were as expected, since cost is a large factor in the decision to utilize CR systems.

Vendors included in this report are Agfa, Carestream, FUJIFILM, Konica, Philips, and Radlink.

For more information about CR, other imaging modules, or other medical equipment related reports and data, visit KLAS' website, www.KLASresearch.com.

Editor's note: For an industry sector report on DR and CR, see DMBN, February 2008 issue.