by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | July 17, 2015
Agfa has had an exciting month. In late June the company announced FDA clearance of its XERO mobile diagnostic viewing solution. Since then it has announced a multimillion dollar contract with Prime Healthcare Services through which the company will provide at least 50 of its DX-D 100 mobile DR solutions.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the annual meeting of the AHRA in Las Vegas, the company has also announced a few innovations that will make the DX-D 100 even easier to operate for hospital technologists. HCB News spoke to Ueli Laupper, Agfa's director of DR business, to find out more details regarding the AHRA announcements, as well as the arrangement with Prime Healthcare.
HCB News: It seems like there are two big things happening with Agfa this month, and they both revolve around the DX-D 100. To start us off can you tell me a bit about what the DX-D 100 is, and what sets it apart from comparable DR systems?
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Ueli Laupper: Well, the DX-D 100 is our mobile DR solution and currently already enjoys a large market share. When you look at the different segments – retrofit DR, room DR, and mobile DR – mobile is the fastest growing of the three segments. We have had great success with our existing technology because it has the same advantages we offer with all of our DR solutions — better image quality thanks to Musica, 60 percent lower radiation dose compare to other systems on the market, and better connectivity to RIS or PACS workstations to improve workflow and productivity.
HCB News: At AHRA this year you’re going to be unveiling some solutions to further improve the performance of the DX-D 100. What will those improvements be?
UL: What we’re introducing is something called FreeView technology which will make the DX-D 100 even more user friendly. It is essentially a telescoping column so that a technologist can lower the column while driving the system through hospital hallways with an unobstructed view.
When you look at competitive mobile DR systems on the market they have fixed columns so you have to look to the left or right of the column to see where you’re going. With FreeView we are minimizing the risk of accidentally driving into anything — or anyone — en route to the examination.
HCB News: Is there anything else like this on the market?
UL: One competitor has a similar solution, but their collapsible column is electrically driven. That creates a few disadvantages. One, it takes away battery and operating power from the system; Two, it requires more maintenance. There have been incidents where the electric motor stopped functioning.
