Philips Healthcare has surveyed the options when it comes to add-on XR-29 solutions and has decided to recommend Medic Vision's SafeCT-29 to its non-compliant CT and PET/CT customers who cannot become compliant through the OEM's own upgrades.

In May, SafeCT-29 became the first and only third-party XR-29 solution to receive clearance from the FDA.

Under XR-29, providers are being forced to ensure certain CT functionalities in order to avoid having their CMS reimbursement penalized. While most CT scanners on the market already have the four qualifications to ensure full reimbursement on the various imaging exams in question, there are an estimated one-third that may be missing one or more necessary functions.

The XR-29 requirements are:
-Automatic exposure control (AEC) to access radiation dose in real time
-Built-in adult and pediatric protocols for the operator to choose from
-Dose Check for automatic notification of when scan settings are likely to exceed dose thresholds
-DICOM SR to incorporate dose history into the patient record

SafeCT-29 is a patent-pending add-on that provides full compliance with some of those functions, namely: XR-29 Dose Check and Dose Report ("RDSR"), according to a statement from Medic Vision.

Eyal Aharon, CEO of Medic Vision, previously told HCB News at the time of FDA approval that published reports point to Dose Check as the XR-29 standard that costs most scanners compliance.

For Philips, this means sales and service personnel will begin recommending SafeCT-29 to customers who are using non-compliant CT or PET/CT scanners.

"We are proud that Philips Healthcare trusts Medic Vision to deliver high-quality dependable solutions at a level consistent with Philips' quality as a leading global health care company," said Aharon. "The selection of Medic Vision by Philips validates the quality of the products and services offered by Medic Vision."