Mobile DR Technology

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 11:53 Written by admin Tuesday, 6 September 2011 08:14

Over the past 2 years the price of DR equipment has dropped precipitously and the adoption of this technology has increased in a wide variety of healthcare practices. DR presents a huge advantage by offering quicker results, higher resolution x-ray images, and lower doses of radiation for the patients. 

For a comprehensive list of all the benefits of DR over CR please see our post from July 8th, 2011. Mobile x-ray businesses have, in general, been slower to pick up on DR technology and for a variety of good reasons, but many of the issues that have held them back in the past have been addressed; making now the perfect time to reconsider a purchase.

One of the main concerns that mobile x-ray companies often express is how heavy and cumbersome the DR panels can be. By shopping around a bit, you can find panels they weigh well under ten pounds and have form factors that are only slightly larger than a standard cassette size.

Consider looking for a panel that has a slim case around it that can support the weight of a patient lying directly on it for abdominal, hip and other shots that could a put a strain on an unprotected panel. Also make sure that the cover has a good, sturdy handle for easy portability.

Inexpensive but powerful touchscreen tablets have reduced the bulk and complication of having to haul a laptop into the x-ray rooms. These tablets can be mounted directly on to the portable x-ray machines and can be easily removed for security when the machine is not in use. When these systems are manufactured properly all of the cables are completely hidden.

Using mobile DR has some serious advantages over using CR or film. A quality mobile DR will cut back on the amount of time required for a tech to be on-site with patients. The x-rays can be reviewed for quality just seconds after acquiring the image. Compare this with the CR where the tech has to take the cassettes out to the vehicle for scan and review. This time savings alone can mean one tech can pack more visits into a single day.

Top Veterinary Digital X-ray Options For Image Acquisition And Archiving

Last Updated on Monday, 4 April 2011 09:43 Written by admin Monday, 18 April 2011 09:38

The veterinary x-ray department can vary from the largest facilities found at teaching colleges and large-animal hospitals to mobile x-ray systems. Because veterinarians must be prepared for a wide variety of digital imaging needs, they want flexible digital imaging and storage options, which is one of our specialties at Dicom Solutions. Alara, Kodak, AGFA and Opal all have quality products perfect for use in the veterinary environment.

Alara’s CrystalView systems are useful for the veterinarian who is looking for a veterinary digital x-ray imaging system for the home office that is both affordable and can handle a low volume of digital images. The CrystalView conveniently fits on top of a desk. One convenient feature is that you can share the CrystalView reader through the use of workstations that are networked.

Kodak offers its Point of Care imaging system along with a mini-PACS component suitable for veterinary x-ray needs. This is a complete system that allows you to not only take digital images, but also view and store them using the mini-PACS.

Many veterinarians who want a mobile Veterinary digital x-ray system find this to be a great fit.

CR Solutions In The Mobile Radiology Environment

Last Updated on Monday, 4 April 2011 09:37 Written by admin Monday, 11 April 2011 09:34

Medical facilities large and small are feeling the pinch of the tight economic climate in which the country finds itself at present. Because of this, they are looking for ways to reduce costs while still providing outstanding patient care. One excellent way that hospitals and other medical offices have found to increase their productivity is to include a mobile radiology component to their list of diagnostic tools. One aspect that needs to be kept in mind is compatibility among not only the digital radiology components in your mobile unit, but also back at your home office. For this, CR Solutions make a great fit.

CR solutions offer one of the most cost-effective digital imaging options currently available. If you have film x-ray equipment at your home office, you can retrofit it with suitable CR components and turn it into digital imaging equipment. There are also mobile CR systems that are compact and lightweight, making them perfect for a portable solution when you need to diagnose veterinary patients on a farm, or human patients on a cruise ship, at a sports stadium or at a nursing home.

What makes the home-office CR digital imaging equipment compatible with the mobile CR solutions is the computer language that both speak. DICOM is the common format used in the translation of digital images taken in a variety of modalities. Because of this, the CR digital images that you take out on the road can also be read by other x-ray equipment back at your home office, such as the PACS system.

You can also use CR solutions in a totally mobile environment, as might be the case for the veterinary practice or an urgent care unit. The CR imagers are portable via a wheeled cart, making them easy to maneuver. You can add a laptop computer that has access to your home PACS, or a web-based PACS, which will then allow you to view digital images, send and receive them while on the road, and then store the digital images that you take to a server back at your home office. Printers can also be added to the laptop computer, so that you can print out hard copies of your CR digital images as needed while in the field caring for patients.

Because you can visit and treat a wider number of patients that might not otherwise have access to your services, you can see that this will help to improve your cash flow while at the same time bringing needed health care to your patients.