Digital Solutions Increase Workflow and Create Demand for X-rays

Business Wire, Sept 24, 2007

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- X-ray technology has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last few decades. A transition to digital radiography is essential for companies and institutions to stay ahead in this space. With digital radiography making giant strides, it is essential for institutions willing to adapt or embrace this technique to concentrate on the quality aspect as well.

Frost & Sullivan's (http://www.ti.frost.com) study, Advances in X-ray Technologies, provides an overview of the X-ray industry with comprehensive information on digital radiography (DR) and its development in the last decade. This study also includes in-depth analysis of the technology trends in computed radiography (CR).

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants an overview of the latest analysis of the Advances in X-ray Technologies, then send an e-mail to Melina Trevino - Corporate Communications at melina.trevino@frost.com with the following information: your full name, company name, title, telephone number, e-mail address, city, state, and country. We will send you the information via e-mail upon receipt of the above information.

"A trend likely to emerge is collaboration of radiologists, technologists, and doctors over the web," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Pramodh Ishwarakrishnan. "This would facilitate information transfer, access, and availability, building a platform where communication barriers reduce, and reviewing and diagnosing images increase."

Within the hospital premises, vendors face challenges of integrating solutions with legacy systems and equipment. Vendors prefer using IT architecture and platform in place of enterprise conversion, because the former allows web-enabled platforms to integrate, operate, and distribute in the new computing environment. Moreover, IT architecture and platform allows this easy interface through common language run time that overlays new technologies. Hospital administrators need to employ common architecture using common language run time to allow the integration of solutions. This requires moving the images and multimodality of operations.

With the industry continuing with the capital expenditure model, the key challenge facing the industry is the availability of capital especially for competing technologies. With significant cost pressure and with the economic equation riding high, productivity and the ability to diagnose is high.

"The high cost of equipment correlates with that of screening and diagnosis and needs to reduce for the technology to become prevalent and widespread," explains Ishwarakrishnan. "The market is likely to understand the uniqueness of competing capital constraints, and this will facilitate the move from analog to digital technology for diagnostic imaging information."

Though equipment costs are high and a hindrance, increasing production volumes could absorb them. Likewise, educating physicians, users, and consumers about the advantages of digital technology would foster growth in institutions. The end users could rely on these factors and embrace the technology, which would open many avenues, offering increased productivity and workflow with decreased costs.

Advances in X-ray Technologies is part of the Technical Insights - Healthcare Subscription, and it includes vendor profiles and a list of products that are due for commercialization. This study also includes a brief history of the x-ray technology and outlines its progress. In addition, this study examines the emerging technology trends that are likely to impact and alter x-ray technologies. Interviews are available to the press.

Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective, and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit http://www.frost.com.

Advances in X-ray Technologies

D03F