Toshiba crafts flexible service plan

Toshiba crafts flexible service plan

In a bid to help customers control service costs, Toshiba America Medical Systems has launched a service agreement that allows customers to secure fixed prices for service from Toshiba or in partnership with the company. As used by PinnacleHealth, the new InTouch Flex Service Agreement approach gives the Central Pennsylvania healthcare provider's in-house staff first crack at problems, with the option to call in Toshiba engineers to handle ones beyond their grasp. Customers who sign on to such agreements have the further option to convert the agreement back and forth between full service and partnership, as needed. This flexible approach enables customers to adapt service plans throughout the lifetime of the agreement to match real-time needs, according to the company.

Ziosoft signs European distributor

Medicor Medical Supplies of Germany has signed on as the exclusive distributor of Ziosoft's advanced visualization software in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The two kicked off their agreement May 20 at the German Radiology Conference in Berlin. Founded in 1992, Medicor Medical Supplies is a major service and medical device distributor of radiology equipment in Germany. MMS will rely on its affiliate, Corizon, to distribute and service Ziosoft products in the cardiology markets of the three companies.

MITA unloads on Medicare

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) used ammunition provided by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to blast Medicare for not covering coronary CTA on emergency room patients. The research, described by MITA as a landmark study, found CCTA to be safe, efficient, and cost-effective in ruling out cardiovascular disease in patients complaining of chest pain. The results, presented at the mid-May meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, add to a growing body of evidence indicating that CCTA saves money and is diagnostically effective, according to MITA, which noted that Medicare does not reimburse for this use of the modality.

ProSolv plans to debut enhances CV PACS

ProSolv Cardiovascular will show an upgraded version of its cardiovascular PACS integrated with QLAB advanced quantification software from Philips Healthcare at the American Society of Echocardiography meeting June 6 to 10 in Washington, DC. QLAB provides access to advanced quantification capabilities, including those found in 2D and 3D ultrasound. The Fujifilm subsidiary is framing the integration of these capabilities in Synapse ProSolv version 4.0.2 as underscoring the company's commitment to a vendor-neutral strategy for its PACS development.

Sony releases medical printer

A new medical-grade digital printer has entered the Sony portfolio for ultrasound and surgical applications, including endoscopic procedures. The UP-DR80MD dye-sublimation printer delivers crisp 301-dpi continuous-tone output and easily combines images and text on letter-size media.