Siemens offers two different portable X-ray systems in the U.S., the Mobilett XP Hybrid, which uses analog filmcassettes, and the Mobilett XP Digital, a DR system with advanced flat panel detection technology and a portable workstation for rapid image acquisition, processing and archiving. The company used to offer a CR system, says Senior Director of Surgery and Urology Herbert Westin, but many of their customers already had CR equipment and wanted to either stay with film or upgrade to digital. Westin says that although portable X-ray sales are down for the company, there is room for growth, as only about 10-15% of the total market for portable X-ray has gone digital, from large hospitals down to smaller clinics.





Others believe facilities will save money in the long run by converting to digital. According to Ed Ruth, Account Manager for Managed Medical Imaging, LLC, some of his clients who have converted report increases of about 20% to 30% in meeting the imaging needs of their patients. And, he says that his clients are very happy with the image quality they receive. "I certainly don't hear many negatives about DR," says Ruth. "About the only negative other than cost that we've encountered is some technicians find it hard to move the heavy plate. But they love how the instant images give them the ability to reposition patients and retake images as needed."

Another supporter of DR technology is Kelly Phipps, Service Sales Specialist, Core Medical Imaging. "Portable X-ray is a stable, yet changing industry," says Phipps. The big change is the conversion to portable DR. Phipps says that portable DR enables significant increases in FTE efficiency and enhanced patient care, including a lower radiation dose, which seems to be on everyone's mind in the medical community - especially when it comes to treating children.

Phipps believes that the economy is having an impact on the health care industry's conversion to portable DR, but "in reality, there are multiple factors affecting this conversion." He believes that the first factor is the ability of the facility to understand the significant improvements to both its bottom line and patient care, which can be realized by converting to true portable DR. "Once this is understood, it is up to the institution to rank the urgency of converting to portable DR. All too often, managers don't understand how significant the improvement is for both short and long term objectives, because if they did, they would make every effort to place the portable DR/upgrades at the top of their list."

More Industry Reports