This article is from in the February 2008 issue of DOTmed Business News. A list of registered users that provide sales & service can be found at the end.

The use of film X-rays is being phased out and replaced by digital alternatives including high-speed DR and more affordable CR systems. Market forces such as the high cost of film, which contains raw materials including silver, and concerns over the environmental impact of chemical processing, are among many factors pushing health care providers over the digital divide.

The shift toward electronic medical records and the growing use of PACS systems are also intensifying the urgency to convert imaging studies to digital formats and systems. An ever-present need to cut costs, particularly with today's reduced reimbursements, makes CR and DR attractive for their increased patient throughput and more efficient workflow, which digital systems support by removing many steps for technologists performing the study, storing, and transferring images where needed. Of course, radiologists and other physicians can easily obtain remote access to digital files. As though these issues weren't enough to convince providers to switch from analog film to digital CR or DR, some newer technologies also promise to reduce patient exposure to radiation.

There are two ways to "go digital." Computed Radiography (CR) is a simple - and many believe interim step-to replace film cassettes with reusable plates that translate the X-ray image into a digital format. DOTmed industry experts estimate that the current market for new CR technologies supports sales of about 5,000 systems per year. In the more sophisticated Digital Radiography (DR) systems, the image is stored directly and automatically into a digital file. State-of-the-art DR technology provides the fastest performance and workflow with the highest quality imaging available while minimizing radiation exposure during the exam. About 1,000 new DR systems are sold each year.




As far as the installed based, the vast majority of hospitals have some form of CR in place. Yet many major hospitals are still film-dependent. Regarding DR, market watcher IMV estimates about one-third of U.S. hospitals have at least one DR system in their radiology department.

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