A new miniPACS for the private-practice, nonhospital environment is under development by Agfa and could be introduced before the end of the year, a company representative said at the ECR on Sunday. The system is designed as a scalable, entry-level
A new miniPACS for the private-practice, nonhospital environment is under development by Agfa and could be introduced before the end of the year, a company representative said at the ECR on Sunday.
The system is designed as a scalable, entry-level solution. Price was not disclosed, but it is likely to be well below the price of Agfa's hospital PACS. Initial markets will probably be Eastern Europe, France, Germany, and Italy, but others are possible as well, said Marcus Ostlander, Agfa's manager of healthcare informatics for Europe.
The new mini-system is designed to accommodate imaging volumes of up to 20,000 per year and would open a new market segment for Agfa. The company already has a range of PACS offerings for hospitals.
The basic system provides soft-copy reading for radiography, but options would extend it to MR and CT. Storage will be via DVD or CD-ROM. It includes an entry-level radiology information system that will allow a receptionist to collect demographic data to accompany the imaging study.
The system is being tested in several facilities, Ostlander said.
