CR reader or full system? You decide


	Enter your search termsSubmit search formWeb ChiroEco.com

CR reader or full system? You decide
By Daniel Giesberg

Few doctors would disagree that digital radiography has many practical advantages over conventional film x-rays. Consequently, many are considering converting to a digital x-ray system, possibly to a CR (computerized radiographic) system.

But, before you buy, make sure you understand what you are buying — to assure that it meets your long-term as well as short-term needs. Don’t make your decision on cost alone.

For a lower cost, some systems are comprised solely of a digital-image receiving processor, such as a CR reader, and digital viewing software, and possibly software that gives the ability to burn a CD of a patient’s image — the solution these systems provide for long term storage.

For a higher cost, other systems add the ability to archive images online, back-up images offline in bulk, and to receive and send images throughout your computer network. This type of system is a “PACS” — Picture Archiving and Com-munications System. It allows for full medical networking.

How do you determine what is best for you?

As in any other needs analysis, ask yourself critical questions:

“Will I need to access archived images? How often?”
“Will I be adding another chiropractor to my staff?”
“Do I need to send images over the Internet?”
“Will I be opening another clinic?”

Once you have honest answers to those questions, identify various dealers. Ask for product specifications, features, and benefits. As you deliberate, include these questions in your assessment:

Do you have an archiving capability?
How does the archive work?
Is the archive expandable?
Does the system use an automated and/or automatic image back-up system for the archive?
Is the work-list call up just the current “unread” patient images or the entire storage database?
Can you query or retrieve from the archive?
If your hard-drive crashed, what would you have to do to rebuild your archive?
Does adding another reading station mean buying a duplicate system or just purchasing another reading station for an incremental cost?
How much control do you have in image distribution? Do all images go to all workstations or can you create rules to get things where you want them when they need to be there?
Is distribution of images via the Internet available?
What is the cost of adding features in the future?

A digital-image receiving processor and digital viewing software may be appropriate for you. But if you think long-term, then weigh the additional cost of a full-function system against the limitations of a minimal system, and decide which benefits you more.

SIDEBAR:
Where are images archved?

Daniel Giesberg is president of American Medical Sales, Inc. of Hawthorne, Calif. He has worked in the medical radiology field since 1981 and has served on several industry standards committees, including as the chair of an industry task force reviewing image viewing conditions. He can be contacted at 310-219-3200 or at giesberg@digitalams.com.

How are we doing?