Mitchell County Hospital, a critical access facility in Western Texas, has selected Viztek’s U-Arm system to provide fast, efficient, versatile x-ray images for a full range of exams. According to Josh Stone (RTr), Radiology Director of the 25-bed hospital, prior to the upgrade, the radiology department had relied on a single workhorse x-ray suite for more than 30 years, with upgrades to computed radiography (CR) acquisition 12 years ago.
“We knew we had to replace our entire room with a state-of-the-art x-ray system to maintain our commitment to the highest level of patient care in the local community,” comments Stone. “However, as a small hospital, we have always faced challenges due to the escalating costs of advanced medical equipment.” In addition to identifying a high-quality system at an affordable price, the small hospital needed to minimize any equipment learning curve and to ensure full continuity of imaging services during a technology upgrade.
“Viztek was able to provide us with an advanced new Viztek U-Arm digital radiography (DR) system at a truly affordable price,” says Stone. “We were familiar with the company because we had used its Opal-RAD PACS for several years, and the technology had proved extremely reliable and user friendly. While we did examine other x-ray systems, Viztek clearly emerged as the best choice.”
Stone notes that comparably priced systems did not provide the same true DR acquisition as did Viztek. By contrast, the new Viztek DR solution uses a fully integrated DR flat panel to support advanced image quality and offers full DICOM functionality for the most efficient workflow.
Mitchell County was pleased to learn that the system’s intuitive, integrated generator/image acquisition console supports parameters for exposure, review, post-processing operations and filming. It also features an industry-leading Pixium 4600 flat-panel detector, intuitive touch screen interface and a wide range of image review and processing tools. The U-Arm design delivers the flexibility to support a broad range of exams.
“The new Viztek solution is so much better than our previous CR technology,” Stone commented. “Now images are produced within three seconds of acquisition in 40 to 50 percent better quality than before.” He also notes that patients can be positioned more comfortably and that procedures are completed up to 60 percent faster than with the CR. “Now we can complete five pictures in 15 to 20 seconds, compared to a speed of 90 seconds per image before.”
According to Stone, the entire radiology department is extremely pleased with the new Viztek system. “The image quality is superior,” he notes. “We can see fractures and long bone images much more easily.” He also notes that not only are the console applications easy to use but the device can be precisely positioned with the touch of a button. “The physicians and technicians love it. In combination with our Viztek Opal-RAD PACS, the U-Arm functions as part of a seamless, state-of-the-art digital imaging solution.”
Steve Deaton, Viztek VP of sales, comments, “Viztek is committed to making the most advanced digital technology available, both on the PACS software side as well as a full range of DR products, at an affordable price. Mitchell County Hospital is an important resource for the surrounding community. We are proud to have played a role in advancing the services of the hospital in providing the highest level of diagnostic care for its patients.”
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