Fuji showcases new portable CR, software capabilities
Fujifilm Medical Systems USA highlighted a portable CR system as well as new software versions designed for cardiology, radiology and mammography during the 2008 Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) annual meeting at the Washington Convention & Trade Center in Seattle.
The company showcased its Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) system, the FCR Go portable digital x-ray system, which obtained FDA 510(k) clearance just prior to the start of the show.
Penny L. Maier, director, marketing imaging systems, Fujifilm, told Health Imaging News, that the portable system is designed to provide remote users with all of the same functionality and sophisticated image processing features available at the fixed technologist workstation and FCR digital x-ray cassette reader in the imaging department.
Image optimization and advanced image processing features of Fujifilm’s Flash IIP are accessible at the portable console so that image adjustment can be performed remotely and images can be sent directly to PACS without additional intervention at another workstation. “With an integrated full QA/QC workstation in the body of the portable and advanced image processing, radiologists can have the same diagnostic confidence with the portable that they have with our existing systems,” Maier said.
Because the FCR Go can accommodate wireless or hardwired connection to a facility’s network, the patient worklist can be accessed from the RIS/HIS and images can be transmitted to PACS immediately following study completion for quicker interpretation. Users can also use a USB thumb drive to transport images from the CR to the PACS if a wireless or hardwire connection are not available.
The system also offers Fujifilm’s SpeedLink X-ray Control Software for a fully integrated interface between the portable x-ray generator and the built-in workstation which allows exposure techniques to be set automatically according to the specific exam type selected, the company said.
Maier said the company expects a commercial release of the FCR Go in June.
Fuji also showcased web-based products for cardiology, radiology and mammography during the show, including its Synapse version 3.2.1, which has a new graphical user interface, designed to enable radiologists to identify and access information and generate reports.
The company showcased the next 30-day release of those products, combined in a single user interface, Jim Morgan, director of marketing, network systems, told Health Imaging News.
“The special configuration of our mammography product—a breast imaging diagnostic workstation—is a special configuration that allows our customers that have digital mammography systems and may have a PACS that is not performing well, to upgrade its systems for mammo. We took the specialized function of mammography and put it on top of a PACS—Synapse—and this is the net result,” Morgan said.
Looking forward, Morgan said that many facilities will be experiencing a PACS migration as they reach the end of life for their current systems.
“As more and more facilities look to replace their PACS, they will see that Fujifilm has the experience to successfully transfer all of their digital data to Synapse,” said Morgan.
“Customers are looking for higher value, higher productivity systems despite budget constraints,” he said. “In order to maximize what revenue they are getting, they need systems that provide things like better billing and pre-approvals for insurance. So while the DRA might have put a constraint on the amount, customers are certainly buying products that will give them the better value because staying status quo is not an option.”
The company showcased its Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) system, the FCR Go portable digital x-ray system, which obtained FDA 510(k) clearance just prior to the start of the show.
Penny L. Maier, director, marketing imaging systems, Fujifilm, told Health Imaging News, that the portable system is designed to provide remote users with all of the same functionality and sophisticated image processing features available at the fixed technologist workstation and FCR digital x-ray cassette reader in the imaging department.
Image optimization and advanced image processing features of Fujifilm’s Flash IIP are accessible at the portable console so that image adjustment can be performed remotely and images can be sent directly to PACS without additional intervention at another workstation. “With an integrated full QA/QC workstation in the body of the portable and advanced image processing, radiologists can have the same diagnostic confidence with the portable that they have with our existing systems,” Maier said.
Because the FCR Go can accommodate wireless or hardwired connection to a facility’s network, the patient worklist can be accessed from the RIS/HIS and images can be transmitted to PACS immediately following study completion for quicker interpretation. Users can also use a USB thumb drive to transport images from the CR to the PACS if a wireless or hardwire connection are not available.
The system also offers Fujifilm’s SpeedLink X-ray Control Software for a fully integrated interface between the portable x-ray generator and the built-in workstation which allows exposure techniques to be set automatically according to the specific exam type selected, the company said.
Maier said the company expects a commercial release of the FCR Go in June.
Fuji also showcased web-based products for cardiology, radiology and mammography during the show, including its Synapse version 3.2.1, which has a new graphical user interface, designed to enable radiologists to identify and access information and generate reports.
The company showcased the next 30-day release of those products, combined in a single user interface, Jim Morgan, director of marketing, network systems, told Health Imaging News.
“The special configuration of our mammography product—a breast imaging diagnostic workstation—is a special configuration that allows our customers that have digital mammography systems and may have a PACS that is not performing well, to upgrade its systems for mammo. We took the specialized function of mammography and put it on top of a PACS—Synapse—and this is the net result,” Morgan said.
Looking forward, Morgan said that many facilities will be experiencing a PACS migration as they reach the end of life for their current systems.
“As more and more facilities look to replace their PACS, they will see that Fujifilm has the experience to successfully transfer all of their digital data to Synapse,” said Morgan.
“Customers are looking for higher value, higher productivity systems despite budget constraints,” he said. “In order to maximize what revenue they are getting, they need systems that provide things like better billing and pre-approvals for insurance. So while the DRA might have put a constraint on the amount, customers are certainly buying products that will give them the better value because staying status quo is not an option.”