Canon consolidates PACS, DR operationsCanon has merged its USA Medical division and its AOP Medical division to form a new company, called Canon Medical Systems. Completed on April 1, the merger combines the digital radiography business of the
Canon has merged its USA Medical division and its AOP Medical division to form a new company, called Canon Medical Systems. Completed on April 1, the merger combines the digital radiography business of the Lake Success, NY-based medical division with the PACS efforts of AOP Medical. Canon made the move to provide customers with a total digital imaging solution consisting of PACS and digital radiography systems, said vice president Tony Shinohara. Canon is searching for a president of the division, which has a head count of 20 employees.
As part of the consolidation, AOP's Gardena, CA, location has been shut down, and its 12-person staff and operations shifted to Canon USA's offices in Irvine, CA. In addition to its two locations in California and New York, Canon Medical Systems plans to open sales and service offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas in the near future, Shinohara said. Dan Skalko, former vice president of AOP Medical, serves as sales director at the new company.
Since receiving Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance last year (PNN 3/98), Canon's amorphous silicon-based digital radiography offering has been installed as part of an integrated Canon DR/PACS network at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. Another site, Evergreen Hospital in Seattle, WA, has installed the system, while the Cleveland Clinic--a beta site for the offering--has placed the system in clinical use.