Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.’s imaging technology offers solutions that will assist healthcare institutions in preparing for episode-based care by effectively utilizing patient-focused imaging technology and a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to treatment.

Episode-Based Care Payment Model

Episode-based care is a payment approach that reimburses providers on expected costs for clinically defined episodes, rather than on a fee-for-service basis. Episode of care provides one fixed payment for the treatment of a specific illness and combines the technical fee with the professional fee. Since this payment approach provides reimbursement on expected costs for clinically defined episodes rather than fee-for-service, healthcare providers must achieve greater efficiencies and better patient outcomes. For example, if a patient has a stroke, everything done to diagnose and treat that condition is bundled together into one clinically defined episode. The goal is to reduce unnecessary services, duplicity of tests and complications – while compensating clinicians for improving the quality of care and reducing costs.

Medicare will launch the episode-based care pilot program no later than January 1, 2013. With such a large segment of patients with this coverage, it will require healthcare organizations to be even more efficient in how they deliver care.

Diagnosing Acute Stroke in an Episode-Based Care Model

Stroke accounts for approximately one in every 18 deaths and is the third most common cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. The estimated annual cost of stroke is $50 billion, including healthcare-related costs, disability and lost productivity. When the new episode-based program comes into effect, clinicians will be tasked to diagnose and treat stroke more accurately and quickly to benefit the patient and reduce costs. When evaluating medical conditions to include in this new payment model, Medicare will look at high-cost, high-volume, chronic and acute conditions like stroke, when vetting case types for the pilot program.

In today’s top hospitals and stroke centers, clinicians use the latest CT technology to perform cerebral perfusion imaging to assess neurological disorders, such as stroke, and to make treatment decisions. Depending on the specific case, patients are often taken to interventional labs where the imaging equipment helps guide treatment and supports device placement.

This was not always the case, as limitations in the coverage volume of CT previously prevented perfusion imaging from being a truly effective tool in diagnosing stroke. However, developments in imaging technology, particularly CT, are enabling healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat stroke faster than ever before.

Diagnosing Stroke with Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE

The introduction of Toshiba’s Aquilion TM ONE dynamic volume CT system changed the scope of cerebral perfusion analysis by enabling dynamic imaging of the entire brain and the ability to reduce diagnosis time from hours to minutes. Unlike any other CT system available, the Aquilion ONE covers up to 16 cm of anatomy using 320 ultra-high resolution 0.5 mm detector elements to image an entire organ, including the brain, in a single rotation. It can show the brain’s dynamic blood flow and real-time function, which is crucial for stroke patients and enables rapid and accurate diagnosis when time is critical.

The Aquilion ONE also features a full suite of dose reduction technologies that limit radiation dose to the lowest possible amounts while maintaining the highest clinically-appropriate image quality needed for diagnosis.

Kaleida Health Stroke Center at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital and Its Use of Toshiba’s Imaging Technology

Toshiba understands that effectively transitioning to episode-based care requires more than just superior imaging equipment; it requires the cooperation and collaboration of a multidisciplinary team of physicians that appropriately leverage the technology to its fullest capabilities to the benefit of the patient. Toshiba’s technology offers solutions to help healthcare facilities prepare for episode-based care by effectively utilizing patient-focused imaging technology and a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to treatment. Toshiba uniquely offers a multidimensional knowledge base, dynamic customer interaction, and a robust support system of training and education to help medical teams transition and prosper within the new healthcare economic models.

One such example is Toshiba’s partnership with the Kaleida Health Stroke Center at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. Millard Fillmore Hospital is a 189-bed facility that is part of Kaleida Health, the largest, most comprehensive healthcare system in the region. It is a modern acute care center offering a full range of medical and surgical services, including a world-class neurological and stroke care. The Kaleida Health Stroke Center has integrated Toshiba’s state-of-the-art training and imaging with an outstanding multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and technicians, comprehensive education and community outreach. The result has been an improvement in both patient and financial outcomes in the diagnosis of acute stroke that demonstrates a commitment to delivering quality care to the community.

Millard Fillmore’s Results Using 320-Detector Row CT in Diagnosing Acute Stroke

To quantify the results of utilizing the Aquilion ONE in the diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke, Toshiba and Millard Fillmore conducted a retrospective and prospective study on its effectiveness in treating these patients with the new technology. The goal of the non-controlled study was to measure the economic impact that 320-detector row CT has had on the diagnostic workup of patients presenting with symptoms of acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). Millard Fillmore reviewed the patient diagnostic workup on a retrospective and prospective basis and analyzed all the imaging procedures utilized during the acute inpatient episode of care, focusing on the changes in the diagnostic work-up, inpatient length of stay and discharging disposition since acquiring the Aquilion ONE. Inpatient data sets prior to the Aquilion ONE installation were compared with data sets using the Aquilion ONE, and concerned the top three discharging ICD-9-CM stroke codes.

When Millard Fillmore analyzed the length of stay, discharge disposition and healthcare costs for the top three ICD-9-CM codes for stroke and compared the 2007 and 2009 data sets, the results demonstrated the benefits 320-detector row technology brought to the facility and its patient community. For the three stroke ICD-9-CM codes analyzed, Millard Fillmore found a reduction in hospital stay, had more patients discharged to home and achieved an approximate annualized savings of more than $750,000.

The Kaleida Health Stroke Center at Millard Fillmore is an impressive example of how an exceptional multidisciplinary team with comprehensive education and community outreach can use innovative imaging technology to make a difference in the lives of patients, improve financial performance and result in high quality patient care in today’s uncertain times. Healthcare facilities everywhere can experience the significant cost savings achieved through reduced length of stay, reduction in outpatient services, reduced complications, and lower recurrence of readmission.

The reality is that hospitals that choose not to participate in the national pilot program will be at risk of losing market share because Medicare patients will be encouraged to utilize participating facilities. The healthcare providers which embrace this new, value-based collaborative approach to providing high-quality care can not only retain but even increase market penetration. Toshiba has a proactive approach with the knowledge base, customer support and technology to help healthcare organizations successfully transition and succeed.

After working with the Infinix-i systems, two leading interventional cardiologists at Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute – TMC, Dr. Colin Barker, assistant professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), and Dr. Richard Smalling, professor and director of Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine at UT Health, embarked on a quality initiative to elevate the organization’s already excellent patient care to an even higher level by instituting the transradial approach for interventional procedures.

Femoral Versus Radial Access Intervention
When it comes to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), most healthcare providers in the U.S. rely on femoral access despite its inherent risk of complications. Most U.S. fellows are taught PCI using the femoral artery, an artery accessed through the patient’s groin, which offers a wide pathway to the heart.

Despite the potential technical challenges, research shows radial intervention significantly reduces bleeding complications during angioplasty and stenting, cutting by nearly 60 percent the risk of bleeding complications following PCI, while maintaining a high procedural success rate1. In addition to being safer for the patient, it is also more comfortable. After radial intervention, patients experience rapid ambulation. The lower risk of complication coupled with faster ambulation results in speedier recovery, better patient comfort and reduced length of stay. By reducing the complications and improving recovery time, patients are discharged from the hospital faster to help lower overall healthcare costs.

Infinix-i’s Role in Radial Access
Relying on their Infinix-i vascular labs, the interventional team at Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute – TMC transitioned into performing more transradial procedures. The design of Toshiba’s Infinix-i systems with the flexible five-axis C-arm movement facilitates the radial approach with ease, as it allows clinicians to access the patient from either side, move the C-arm seamlessly and situate the monitors and control panel to meet the needs of the interventional team.

Dr. Barker is now using the radial approach in 80 percent of the interventional cases he handles, including both low risk and high risk cases, such as diagnostics, type A lesions with a single blockage, ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), PCI, chronic occlusion, and stenting in patients with weak hearts. He only relies on femoral access when radial access is not a viable option due to the patient’s situation, such as patients who are very small, have limited blood supply in their arms or have swelling or dialysis in the arm.

“Toshiba’s Infinix-i vascular lab is ideal for radial interventions as it allows equal access to the right and left radial arteries,” explained Dr. Barker. “The design of the system enables us to move the monitors and change the positioning of the C-arm, without having to pivot the table to reposition the patient, so we can operate from either side. This creates an ergonomically comfortable environment for the interventional team and the patient.”

Improved Collaboration: Using the Radial Approach Moving Forward
After a nine-month period of bringing the team up to speed on radial intervention using the Infinix-i systems, Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute – TMC is now performing between 200 – 300 transradial cases annually. The excellent range of motion offered by the Infinix-i five-axis C-arm and the system’s overall ergonomics have helped improve workflow and collaboration between cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, anesthesiologists and clinical staff during exams, making it an ideal system to support radial intervention.

¹Cath Lab Digest article, Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Cardiovascular Interventions, August 2008.

“Toshiba is dedicated to continuously improving its imaging systems to meet the changing needs of healthcare providers,” said Tomohiro Hasegawa, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, Toshiba. “These enhancements to the ultrasound product line build upon Toshiba’s advanced technology to allow quicker, safer and more effective diagnosis, particularly for cardiac exams.”

3D Wall Motion Tracking and Tissue Enhancement for the Aplio Artida
For its flagship cardiac system, Aplio Artida™, 3D Wall Motion Tracking and Tissue Enhancement technologies are now available. 3D Wall Motion Tracking, an industry first on the Artida, offers a new era of dyssynchrony imaging and advanced regional wall motion assessment. It aids electrophysiologists in optimizing pacemaker placement and function. It also shows 3D ejection fraction, volumes, and regional and global strain function. A Toshiba-exclusive software, Tissue Enhancement has the ability to improve image uniformity and endocardial border delineation, especially in difficult-to-scan patients.

Auto IMT on Toshiba’s Shared Service Ultrasound Systems
Available on Toshiba’s shared service ultrasound systems, Aplio™ MX, Aplio™ XG and Xario™ XG, the new Auto IMT feature calculates the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery, helping clinicians determine a patient’s risk for cardiovascular disease. Toshiba’s Auto IMT can determine the thickness of the near and far arterial walls from three segments of the carotid artery: at an optimal angle of incidence and two complementary planes. Auto IMT automatically locates and finds the thickness of each segment. These measurements are based on numerous research protocols and the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) consensus statement, and may be used in stratifying cardiac risk in certain asymptomatic populations.

New TEE Probe
Also at ACC will be Toshiba’s new adult motor-driven TEE probe which improves the diagnosis of numerous cardiac conditions in difficult to scan patients.

In 2008, Toshiba introduced two advancements in breast imaging: its MicroPure™ algorithm, which enhances ultrasound imaging of the breast by aiding in the visualization and biopsy of microcalcifications, and the Radiance Plus Breast Imaging package, which utilizes the Sentinelle Breast SPEEDER Coil to enhance performance when acquiring high-resolution breast MRI images without a dedicated MR breast scanner. Now the company is working to improve breast biopsy procedures by increasing clinical confidence with the precise spatial correlation of MR/CT and ultrasound images in real-time; with a new works-in-progress software platform, Aegis Navigation from Sentinelle, clinicians will be able to improve their ability to locate small and poorly visualized regions using ultrasound, and increase throughput on imaging resources by enabling faster and more accurate biopsy procedures.

“It’s a great combination of both technologies,” says Joel Urick, product manager in Toshiba’s MR business unit. “MR-guided biopsy procedures can be very time-consuming and hard on the patient, while ultrasound-guided biopsies can be less precise and often difficult to obtain a tissue sample of the affected region. The Aegis software allows clinicians to take the patient to ultrasound for the biopsy procedure, but still use the precise MR image data to navigate to exactly where the lesion is located.”

Urick explains that the Aegis Navigation hybrid MR-ultrasound approach to biopsy is reliant on two imaging technologies: ultrasound systems that provide real-time information, and the company’s Atlas® and Titan™ MR systems, which are designed to work with the Radiance Plus Breast SPEEDER Coil providing high resolution precise image data.“This new Navigation technology builds on the diagnostic quality and capabilities of our MR systems using the Radiance Plus Breast SPEEDER coil,” Urick says.

In CT, Toshiba’s Aquilion® Large Bore system provides imaging specifically for radiation oncology treatment planning. Moin Hussaini, a manager in Toshiba’s CT business unit, explains, “Radiology CT systems are primarily used for diagnosis, looking for disease, while oncology systems are used for treatment planning. The large bore is required to facilitate the positioning of the patient that will be ideal for treatment—you want to scan the patient in the same position in which you’ll treat her.”

Breast cancer patients are treated on an inclined breast board with their arms overhead to minimize radiation exposure in healthy tissue; the Aquilion Large Bore CT, which offers a 70 cm field of view, enables them to be imaged in this treatment position without truncation. By leveraging two proprietary noise reduction algorithms and Toshiba’s QuantumPLUS detector, the system also provides excellent low-contrast resolution, which, Hussaini explains, “enables therapists and dosimetrists to better draw contours and delineate anatomy more accurately and confidently.”

The Aquilion Large Bore is the only CT system that can accommodate a patient at a 25-degree incline with both arms overhead, Hussaini notes: “The large bore offers an unparalleled level of positioning capability, giving radiation oncologists the ability to position more ideally with our system than any other system out there.” An attachable breast board from CIVCO maximizes patient comfort during scans while maintaining the best possible image quality.

“Our goal is to increase clinician confidence,” Urick concludes. “Having technology like this makes both the confidence level and success rate of diagnosis and treatment go up.”

Dr. Lal wanted a cardiovascular-radiography system that would enable the group to lower door-to-balloon time by reducing the time required for patient setup and loading, as well as by improving clinician efficiency and confidence. The unique C-arm design of Toshiba’s Infinix-i systems—which offers 270-degree positioning for improved access to the patient, ancillary equipment, and fellow clinicians—met these requirements.

“The ability to move the C-arm quickly in and out of the way facilitates quick loading of the patient,” Dr. Lal notes. “Once the patient is in place, the C-arm is immediately moved back into the desired position to begin the case. This system has saved time by enabling us to start catheterization sooner and reducing overall setup and procedure time.”

Toshiba’s Infinix-i systems boast a five-axis design. Allan Berthe, senior cardiology product manager for the company, explains that this enhances clinician workflow by allowing uninterrupted access to the patient. “If the operators are focused on the patient and don’t have to worry about working around the C-arm or pivoting the table, they can get through the required imaging much faster,” he says. “The system provides excellent access and coverage, and the design of the tableside controls allows clinicians to keep their focus on the patient, capture all the required images and control all key system functions while staying right at the patient’s side.”

Dr. Lal offers an example of the C-arm flexibility in some cases when it is necessary to switch rapidly from femoral to radial access while inserting the catheter. “Within minutes, we have reconfigured the system components to accommodate the transradial approach,” he says. “This flexibility permits more comfortable ergonomic positions for physicians, while also keeping the patient comfortable.”

The time-saving benefits of the Infinix-i systems go beyond design, Berthe explains. Toshiba’s Next Generation Advanced Imaging Processing (AIP) technology, a combination of proprietary hardware and software, supports interventionalists using fluoroscopic and fluorographic imaging by enhancing image quality, sharpness, and contrast during procedures. The technology also substantially reduces image lag time, enabling clinicians to perform fluoroscopic procedures with increased efficiency.

“Next Generation AIP greatly improves coronary-artery visualization and the ability to identify disease,” Dr. Lal says. “The great image detail on all patient types has improved diagnostic confidence and treatment planning, resulting in more accurate device selection and placement.” He adds that Next Generation AIP has improved his department’s efficiency by reducing room time, promoting increased patient throughput: “The reduced exam times have improved the utilization of our staff members and increased patient safety,” he says.

With PCI becoming increasingly prevalent as a treatment for STEMI patients, diagnostic speed and confidence are more important than ever before (as the new ACC/AHA 90-minute door-to-balloon requirement underscores). “If you have a door-to-balloon program, speed is of the essence,” Berthe notes. “Little things matter. The combination of the Infinix-i system’s design and its AIP technology creates an environment where everything is working in concert to produce a more uniform, high-resolution image with increased speed and efficiency.”

Berthe says that smaller flat-panel detectors are ideal for imaging the heart, but a larger detector is required to cover a larger anatomical area. Toshiba’s dual-plane Infinix DP-i system solves this problem by incorporating two C-arms and two flat-panel detectors on the same unit: a floor-mounted eight-inch panel and a ceiling-mounted 12×16-inch panel. “The two C-arms operate independently; one is dedicated to cardiac cases and the other is dedicated to vascular cases,” Berthe says. “You can quickly exchange those back and forth in less than 60 seconds—a capability no other system in the industry offers.”

Working with a shared system saves valuable hospital space and reduces both maintenance and staff costs, but the advantages don’t end there, Berthe notes. “The smaller flat-panel detector can easily image the heart, but it’s not uncommon for a patient with coronary-artery disease also to have problems elsewhere in the body,” he says. “If you want to perform two procedures on the same patient (looking at the heart and the legs, for example), the DP-i excels. You could use the small panel to look at the heart and then quickly change over to the large panel to look at both legs in one view.”

The Infinix-i DPi boasts multiple features aimed at bolstering its clinical flexibility, including a flexible C-arm for peripheral angiography, optional 3D angiography, a table that can accommodate patients weighing up to 484 pounds, and two liquid-metal–bearing X-ray tubes, one for cardiac work and one for full-body imaging. “The dual-plane systems allows you to do both types of imaging with a lot of freedom,” Berthe says. “The user will never have to compromise on the anatomy he or she wants to image.”

“By funding these grants, we are giving hospitals and imaging centers the ability to continue improving imaging quality and safety for children and adults through the development of diagnostic imaging best practices,” says Cathy Wolfe, director, Marketing Services, Toshiba. Applicants’ programs should seek to improve day-to-day practices centered around imaging and address reducing the need for radiation and/or contrast dose, reducing the need for anesthesia, improving patient communication and comfort, and/or improving the overall clinical pathway.

For the pediatric projects we are generally looking for the same types of projects as we are looking for in the area of adult imaging,” Ed Cronin, AHRA CEO, explains. “For instance, one of the awards last year went to a facility that was developing a patient-handoff system, so that patients were transferred from the floor to the imaging department via a formal system, cutting back on errors. With pediatrics, there may be some specific features that make programs different for children, but the emphasis on developing new and creative ideas remains the same.”

Cronin says that this year’s program also features an improved application process and more lead time for submissions. The program accepts applications from any hospital or imaging manager seeking to implement a new safety/quality program. “Recipients will share their processes with our members by writing an article for our Radiology Management journal or our newsletter,” Cronin explains. “One of the projects we’re funding this year even developed a seminar to present to other regional hospitals.”

Six $7,500 grants will be awarded in 2009: three focusing on improving patient care and safety in diagnostic imaging and three focused on pediatric imaging. To apply, visit AHRAonline.org or medical.toshiba.com. Entries are due October 31.

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In January 2009, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management, in conjunction with Toshiba, awarded three $7,500 grants to help fund innovative patient-safety and quality initiatives. St. Mary’s was a recipient, along with Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, and Jennie Edmundson Hospital, Council Bluffs, Iowa. “We have changed the way we engage patients. We now are more focused on being patient-centered and family-centered,” Knightly says. “It’s little things that make a big difference, like having a blanket warmer in the room. We just converted a warmer box that was used for contrast media, and we located this right in the scanner room so it’s easy to access for the technologist and they can keep the patient warm during the scan.”

Gayle Thompson-Smiley, director of Radiology at Washington Hospital Center, used her facility’s grant to initiate a patient-handoff program designed to refine the processes involved in transferring 300-350 patients a day from the hospital floor to the radiology department. “Washington Hospital Center is a very large institution and quite complex. In this type of environment, we’re also focused on how we can better improve the patient experience and the patient outcome,” she says. “This was a very unique opportunity for us.”

Meanwhile, Jim Lipcamon, director of Imaging Services at Jennie Edmundson Hospital, sought to leverage his hospital’s information systems to alert radiologic technologists to potential complications associated with contrast media for imaging. “People who take metformin [for type II diabetes] are contraindicated to receive iodinated contrast,” he explains. “We wanted to hardwire that process. Prior to the grant, that process was strictly on paper, relying on the patients to remember to tell their physician or tell the nurse on the floor. With the increase in obesity nationwide, we felt that this was a critical issue that needed to be addressed in our institution.”

Tom Kaiser, informatics pharmacist at Jennie Edmundson, is grateful for the interdepartmental collaboration fostered by the grant. “We’ve been able to use a multidisciplinary approach to our patient-safety enhancements,” he says. “It allowed me an opportunity to work with IT professionals, radiology professionals, and the pharmacy itself to come up with a program that generated rules based on patients’ medications.”

Washington Hospital Center is developing a CME course to train staff on successful handoff communications programs. “The CME event will help prepare physicians in our staff to really think about how best to keep patients safe in day-to-day care and in whatever handoff communication processes that they are involved with,” says Kathleen Srsic-Stroehr, senior nursing director for Evidence-based Practice and Quality. “It’s really important to think about those particular processes and those sender and receiver communication messages that are so important in a handoff communication situation.”

Knightly concurs: “This is a great opportunity for other departments in CT to tap into this knowledge and apply it to what they do every day out in the field. These best practices are very simple, very usable and make a difference in patient care and patient safety. It’s very exciting to be able to share what we’ve found and also to encourage people to use what’s out there.”

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This acquisition brings in-house critical core competencies — the development of 3D volume rendering and advanced visualization capabilities for all Toshiba modalities. In addition, Toshiba now is capable of conducting R&D twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring that the medical community gets the most advanced technologies possible.

“The formation of TMVS establishes a significant multi-modality research and development center in Europe,” said Kenichi Komatsu Ph. D., president and CEO, Toshiba Medical, “ensuring Toshiba’s unfettered access to leading-edge technology in an area of the world widely acknowledged for its innovations in medicine. This also demonstrates Toshiba’s strong commitment to our customers in Europe as well as the healthcare industry worldwide.”

Toshiba is patterning this acquisition after the 2006 acquisition which resulted in the creation of Toshiba Medical Research Institute USA, Inc. (TMRU), a wholly–owned subsidiary. TMRU is a significant research and development center of advanced imaging technologies and clinical applications in the U.S. Combined with Toshiba’s R&D capabilities in Japan, the company undertakes development efforts worldwide on a 24-hour basis.

Toshiba’s global research entities support clinical programs in partnership with luminary academic institutions worldwide to accelerate research and development of clinical applications using Toshiba’s advanced imaging systems.

Every year, the RSNA Board of Directors modifies the annual meeting program to align with the needs of the radiological community. This year’s program features a number of expanded opportunities for dialogue and education, including a special ‘Japan Presents’ Integrated Science and Practice (ISP) Session in conjunction with the Japan Radiological Society.

The constantly evolving nature of the annual meeting helps keep healthcare professionals coming back to Chicago, and this year attendance is projected to expand again with pre-registration running 3% ahead of 2007.

In addition to more people, the 2008 RSNA also features more exhibit space than ever before with an expansion from two exhibit halls at McCormick to three, so there will be more to see, more to do, and more real-estate to cover. To make sure you know the room assignments for the sessions, floor plans for each building, as well as the shuttle bus schedule, the official RSNA 2008 Pocket Guide is available for download and review.

Technology to Expand Opportunity

While you’re at the RSNA, we invite you to stop by the Toshiba exhibit (#3429, Hall A) and discuss new technological enhancements to improve patient care. Last year, Toshiba launched the world’s first dynamic volume CT system — the Aquilion® ONE. This year in Toshiba’s exhibit, you can discover how the unique capabilities of the 320 detector row Aquilion ONE are bringing positive changes to patient care around the world.

Recent enhancements in Ultrasound and MR breast imaging techniques produce new opportunities to enhance women’s health. Although Mammography is still the gold standard for detecting micro-calcifications in the breast, Toshiba’s new, proprietary ultrasound technology called MicroPure™, can help identify and eventually characterize these micro-calcifications. MicroPure and new Elastography (works-in progress) techniques will be showcased in the ultrasound portion of Toshiba’s exhibit, as well as in a Monday evening non-RSNA Satellite Symposium.

Recent clinical experience with the Radiance Plus Breast Imaging Suite (works-in-progress) will also be highlighted during the Monday evening symposia. For a closer view of the Radiance Plus Suite, demonstrated on Toshiba’s Vantage™ Atlas and Vantage Titan™ MR systems, please stop by and see us in the South Building.

Radiographers in today’s healthcare systems are looking for help to streamline these critical radiological procedures. Toshiba’s exhibit at the 2008 RSNA will feature the RADREXTM-i, with high-resolution detectors to help ensure the best image quality at the lowest possible dose. RADREX-i includes a number of time saving features to assure you get the maximum productivity for your department.

While you are exploring the expanded exhibit floor at RSNA this year, please stop by Toshiba (#3429, Hall A). We look forward to discussing your challenges and exploring opportunities to help you enhance patient care in your community.