by
Kathy Mahdoubi, Senior Correspondent | January 13, 2010
The finest in working conditions
Patient furniture is only one aspect of this industry. Another growing market is high-tech and fully customized physician and radiologists' workstations. As Eileen Fine points out the features of AFC Industries' top-of-the-line workstations, it sounds more like she's talking about a Cadillac or Mercedes Benz. The College Point, N.Y., manufacturer's newest product, the Whitestone Workstation, is designed to make the physicians' or radiologists' working environment as comfortable and efficient as possible.
The Whitestone Workstation™
by AFC Industries
"The Whitestone Workstation is our high-end workstation - it's more like a radiology dream station," she says. "It features more advanced environmental controls, new monitor arms that supports up to 50 lbs, ambient lighting for dark room reading and pop-up data ports for ancillary computer equipment."
AFC has designed workstations that can electronically adjust the position of multiple monitors so that radiologists, PACS administrators and IT professionals can connect with all of their essential technology in whatever position works best for them. Radiologists are often standing more than they are sitting. Everything is ergonomically designed with reduced risk of injuries in mind. The Whitestone features push-button adjustment of work-surface height and tilt, independent adjustment of monitor platform height and focal length, and a digital readout of all these settings.
"It's a technology-centric world," she says. "With the advent of PACS and digital X-rays and the electronic health record, the fundamental driver of our workstation business has become the digital environment."
In addition to the Whitestone, AFC offers a wide variety of patient carts, wall mounts for patient wards and operating rooms, and other workstations in a wide array of shapes and sizes.
Future of furniture sales
Wurdeman foresees sales picking up as early as first quarter next year. "Everybody was locked down on their budgets last year, but people are coming back to their senses and the economy is starting to pick up again."
