From the January/February 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Eventual monetization is obviously important for AI vendors. Working with Fujifilm PACS provides third party vendors with validation, which improves their likelihood of landing contracts. There is fear of redundancy however, and many AI engine vendors are struggling with this. Issues for them include small vendors focusing on the same application area and creating more competition. In addition, FDA approval is expensive and larger vendors are far more capable of funding the process. Despite monetization issues, Lacy says, “I believe the most important part is the actual value for the radiologist, the physician and the health system, and that's what I think is being explored right now”.

Fujifilm is looking at applications related to patient engagement and revenue cycle management; tying the entire continuum from registration all the way through to the report delivery in billing and covering all the points in between that can affect ROI. Lacy emphasized the importance of the patient experience, saying, “scheduling, getting to the office, registration, wait times, how much were they able to do in advance, do they like using the systems, did it make the imaging center experience easier?”. Because the US is a high deductible insurance environment, it would also be useful for the patient to have exam estimates upfront. This would allow them to make provider decisions and then to pay at a kiosk at the time of the study. Fujifilm is involved in technologies that improve the overall patient experience, particularly for outpatient environments, but in also identifying how much the entire continuum of care costs for the provider. This includes identifying opportunities to save money such as, better engagement with patients, bringing in money faster, using staff more efficiently and understanding the overall ROI impact. A product note for Fujifilm at RSNA is the Velocity MRI System. It is an anatomy-conformable, high-field open MRI system designed to streamline workflow and improve the patient experience using its integrated radiofrequency coils and reconstruction technologies. According to Fujifilm, the open gantry offers a more a spacious feeling for claustrophobic, bariatric, geriatric and pediatric patients.


Bringing advanced image processing into price sensitive markets
Vamstar spoke with George Curley, Director of Medical Imaging Marketing North America for Agfa, about the company’s new Valory digital radiography (DR) system. “The idea behind Valory is for Agfa to address the needs of productivity in every market sector…we created Valory to be an affordable solution that still has all the productivity gains of Musica’s image processing”, said Curley. Agfa customers say their exams are completed up to four minutes faster with Musica supported casework; “we want to bring that experience into the more price sensitive marketplaces”. Valory has a single interface and features a 15-hour battery, ceiling-suspended X-ray tube, fixed or elevating table, and cesium iodide detectors—combined with Musica image processing the system enables dose reduction of 30% to 50% according to the company.

January/February 2022 Magazine

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