Agfa Gevaert : At ECR 2015, Agfa HealthCare highlights success of Fast Forward to DR program, offering every hospital a fast path to digital radiography

- Program allows medical imaging facilities to advance at their own speed and budget from analog to computed radiography (CR) to cassette-less direct radiography (DR). - Options include cesium iodide (CsI) for CR and cesium bromide (CsBr) for DR technologies, which allow a potential dose reduction between 50-60%*. - The benefits of Fast Forwarding are already being felt, with the program experiencing success at facilities around the world.

(ECR, Booth # 103, Hall Expo A) Agfa HealthCare announces that at ECR 2015, in Vienna, Austria from 4-8 March, it will highlight the successes of its Fast Forward to DR program, which allows healthcare organizations to take their imaging investments to the next level. Hospitals in countries including the US, UK and Italy are already experiencing the benefits of upgrading and updating their imaging solutions, including higher quality images, increased productivity and a smoother, more efficient workflow.

Productivity, efficiency, image quality and "the right dose of expertise"
Agfa HealthCare has a global installed base of more than 50,000 digital radiography systems, all integrated with its next generation MUSICA image processing software. The company is committed to supporting healthcare providers in their continuous efforts to improve productivity, efficiency and image quality while further reducing dose.
To realize this, in 2014 it launched the Fast Forward Digital Radiography Upgrade Program, aimed at accelerating the transition from traditional CR to state-of-the-art lower dose Cesium-based digital radiography, in line with the recommendations of EuroSafe and Image Gently.
With the Fast Forward program, hospitals can get "the right dose of expertise", by easily upgrading from traditional CR to Cesium-based CR or DR, which offers a potential dose reduction of up between 50-60%*.

Proven day by day
Hospitals that have already implemented the program include Loma Linda University Medical Center (CA) and Summa Health System (OH) in the US; the Yeovil District Hospital and Victoria Community Hospital in the UK; the Cremona Hospital, Oglio Po Hospital and Istituto Clinico Prof. Dr. R. De Blasi referral center in Reggio Calabria, in Italy.
The Fast Forward program comprises stage-by-stage guidance by Agfa HealthCare to help the facility get the most from the benefits of digital radiography, whether CR or DR. The program also covers software updates, including next-generation MUSICA image processing and dose management, and service and support for greater return on investment.

Optimum balance between dose and image quality
Options include cesium iodide (CsI) for CR and cesium bromide (CsBr) for DR technologies. With their higher X-ray absorption and conversion efficiency, they offer a greater DQE (detective quantum efficiency), which can lead to higher-quality images and lower dose requirements, improving the optimum balance between dose and image quality.

"The Fast Forward program is all about helping hospitals move forward with innovative and market-leading solutions, to share the dose and quality advantages of DR with patients," says Louis Kuitenbrouwer, Vice-President Imaging division of Agfa HealthCare. "The program is proving itself right now in multiple hospitals in various countries, supporting our ongoing mission to ensure that every hospital - whatever its size and budget - can benefit from the advantages of digital imaging solutions."

*Testing with board certified radiologists has determined that cesium bromide (CR) and cesium iodide (DR) detectors when used with MUSICA processing can provide dose reductions between 50 to 60% when compared to traditional barium fluoro bromide CR systems. Contact Agfa HealthCare for more details.

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