Is Digital X-Ray Worth the Effort?

by Barbara Kram, Editor | July 01, 2008

Most vendors are satisfied
with their DR equipment,
but think there is room
for improvement

Orem, UT -- Although advanced medical imaging procedures such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) are growing, X-ray imaging continues to dominate as a standard diagnostic procedure. X-ray equipment is among the first modalities to be upgraded to a digital platform due to the relatively low cost and its frequent use in diagnostic procedures. Many organizations have already implemented digital radiography (DR) in their facilities; however, there currently is a significant market yet to adopt this enabling technology.

KLAS found in its recently published 2008 Digital Radiography report that overall most healthcare professionals are satisfied with their DR vendors. Additionally, providers reported increased patient throughput which resulted in improved ROI. The study data revealed that DR equipment generally performed as advertised and that DR support has been satisfactory. However, very material differentiating factors among vendors exist such as timeliness and accurate response to provider questions and issues, among other issues.

According to the study respondents, there are still areas in which DR technology can improve. Certain imaging procedures, such as those performed in the ED, require flexibility that vast majority of DR solutions currently lack, which makes a back up system such as CR advisable.

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Vendors included in this report were Carestream (Kodak), FUJIFILM, GE, IDC, Philips, Quantum Medical Imaging, Shimadzu, Siemens, and Toshiba.

About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS' mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com.