Spire Healthcare in Harpenden, part of the UK's second largest network of private hospitals and clinics, now operates a fully digital radiography suite thanks to a raft of recent installations from Carestream Health. A CARESTREAM DRX-Evolution with Carestream's long-length imaging software has replaced ageing Phillips analogue equipment. A Toshiba fluoroscopy room and an existing mobile unit have been upgraded fully to DR with the CARESTREAM DRX-1 System, enabling Spire to achieve both the benefits of increased image quality and productivity whilst protecting their existing technology investment. A new space saving tabletop DRYVIEW 5700 Laser Imager will be used as back-up together with an existing Carestream CR unit and a CS 8100 Digital Panoramic System will deliver high quality digital results to improve workflow and dental patient care.
"We conducted a full market evaluation and the DRX-Evolution was the most appropriate for our X-ray room compared with others we saw," said Claudia Welsh, Diagnostic Imaging Manager, Spire Harpenden. "It was the right size, the wide range of movement closely met the radiographic techniques used by our radiographers and it requires less manual handling than our previous equipment. The system is very versatile in its use and given these operating benefits, the system proved to be value for money."
The introduction of leg length measurement will now enable Spire Harpenden to offer an additional service provision for diagnosing and treating conditions such as scoliosis, hip dysplasia and other abnormalities. Carestream's software adjusts the exposure discrepancies between images and compensates for the latitude differences, therefore providing presentation that is individually optimised for each image and its corresponding anatomical region. The image processing algorithm then stitches the individually optimised images together to create a smooth and seamless composite image for diagnosis.
Installation took place at the beginning of June followed by equipment training and according to Claudia, staff at Spire Harpenden are very positive about the new addition.
"The system is very intuitive and easy to use with staff already confident in its use. Image preview is available within 6 seconds, enabling high patient throughput and the automatic functionality means far less manual handling for staff.
"Now that we can offer a fully digital service, we anticipate both workflow improvements and productivity gains, allowing us to offer our patients shorter waiting times as a result," Claudia concluded.
Related news articles:
- Carestream Health's Profile
About Spire Healthcare
Spire Healthcare is the second largest private hospital provider in the UK, with 37 hospitals and ten clinics nationwide. The company is built on a heritage of almost 30 years’ experience running successful private hospitals and offers a full range of integrated surgical, medical and diagnostic services.
The company was formed from the sale of BUPA Hospitals to private equity company Cinven in 2007, followed by the purchase of Classic Hospitals and Thames Valley Hospital in 2008. Spire has since built Spire Shawfair Park Hospital (Edinburgh), Spire Montefiore (Brighton) and acquired London Fertility Centre and Lifescan.
About Carestream
Carestream is a worldwide provider of dental and medical imaging systems and IT solutions; X-ray imaging systems for non-destructive testing; and advanced materials for the precision films and electronics markets - all backed by a global service and support network.