A new assurance program provided by a major radiology and cardiovascular systems manufacturer is helping existing Computed Tomography (CT) customers lower the radiation dose for patients, and improve the performance and compliance of their CT scanners.

The program, based in the US is aimed at improving patient safety using new dose-reduction technology and providing the necessary training and support for improving dose efficiency.

The Assurance 360 program, rolled out by Toshiba Medical Systems (Otawara, Japan), helps customers update their CT scanners for compliance with the US Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) Smart Dose XR-29 standard.

Customers face potential US National Medicare payment penalties beginning in 2016 if their scans are not compliant to the new MITA X-29 Smart Dose standard. Toshiba’s program is a service and support agreement to upgrade customers’ pre-2011 Toshiba Aquilion 8, 16, 32, and 64 systems for MITA XR-29 Smart Dose compliance. Newer systems are already MITA XR-29 compliant. The upgrade also provides improved system performance, training, and protocol optimization to help clinicians implement the new features.

Satrajit Misra, senior director, CT Business Unit, Toshiba “Toshiba puts customers first and is taking them beyond compliance by providing them with the support they need to lower radiation dose. Toshiba also understands today’s business challenges and is helping our customers lower their cost of ownership by extending the life of their systems.”

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