Making health care work smarter
October 29, 2010
By David Fisher
This report originally appeared in the October 2010 issue of DOTmed Business News
Medical imaging manufacturers are in the business of saving lives.
This philosophy is at the core of our mission – ensuring that the woman with the lump in her breast will be able to get back to work and the father with the pre-cancerous polyp will live to see his daughter get married.
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) is the leader in medical imaging and radiation therapy technologies that allow this to happen. We develop products that have revolutionized health care delivery in America by helping patients avoid or limit more invasive procedures, and return to their families, lives and work more quickly.
As part of our mission, MITA is acutely aware of the growing concern for patient exposure to radiation from medical imaging procedures. That’s why MITA and its more than 50 member companies are proactive in developing and advocating for solutions that will reduce exposure to radiation dose while continually improving technology to aid physicians in turning patients into survivors.
This forward-looking thinking is critically important because the stakes are high. Peer-reviewed research confirms that these medical technologies save lives and drastically improve health outcomes, making these advanced technologies fundamental to standards of care. And the proof is in the numbers.
Increased regular mammography screenings resulted in a 24 percent decrease in the death rate from breast cancer between 1990 and 2004. According to the American Cancer Society, if detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer now exceeds 95 percent. Increased utilization of advanced medical imaging, such as CT and MRI, between 1991 and 2004 improved life expectancy by 0.62 to 0.71 years. And for all cancers, physicians have reported that PET scanning allowed them to avoid additional tests or procedures 77 percent of the time.
Furthermore, radiation therapy offers highly personalized, noninvasive and cost-effective care for up to 60 percent of all diagnosed cancer patients in the United States. That translates to approximately 650,000 Americans each year who are able to fight their cancer.
But beyond the life-saving impact of medical imaging, researchers have also found that it saves money in the long-run.
For example, a 2005 study published in Radiology, states every $1 spent on inpatient imaging correlates to approximately $3 in total savings, and according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, every $385 spent on imaging decreases a patient’s hospital stay by one day, saving approximately $3,000 per patient.
This report originally appeared in the October 2010 issue of DOTmed Business News
Medical imaging manufacturers are in the business of saving lives.
New Fully Configured 80-slice CT in 2 weeks with Software Upgrades for Life
For those who need to move fast and expand clinical capabilities -- and would love new equipment -- the uCT 550 Advance offers a new fully configured 80-slice CT in up to 2 weeks with routine maintenance and parts and Software Upgrades for Life™ included.
This philosophy is at the core of our mission – ensuring that the woman with the lump in her breast will be able to get back to work and the father with the pre-cancerous polyp will live to see his daughter get married.
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) is the leader in medical imaging and radiation therapy technologies that allow this to happen. We develop products that have revolutionized health care delivery in America by helping patients avoid or limit more invasive procedures, and return to their families, lives and work more quickly.
As part of our mission, MITA is acutely aware of the growing concern for patient exposure to radiation from medical imaging procedures. That’s why MITA and its more than 50 member companies are proactive in developing and advocating for solutions that will reduce exposure to radiation dose while continually improving technology to aid physicians in turning patients into survivors.
This forward-looking thinking is critically important because the stakes are high. Peer-reviewed research confirms that these medical technologies save lives and drastically improve health outcomes, making these advanced technologies fundamental to standards of care. And the proof is in the numbers.
Increased regular mammography screenings resulted in a 24 percent decrease in the death rate from breast cancer between 1990 and 2004. According to the American Cancer Society, if detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer now exceeds 95 percent. Increased utilization of advanced medical imaging, such as CT and MRI, between 1991 and 2004 improved life expectancy by 0.62 to 0.71 years. And for all cancers, physicians have reported that PET scanning allowed them to avoid additional tests or procedures 77 percent of the time.
Furthermore, radiation therapy offers highly personalized, noninvasive and cost-effective care for up to 60 percent of all diagnosed cancer patients in the United States. That translates to approximately 650,000 Americans each year who are able to fight their cancer.
But beyond the life-saving impact of medical imaging, researchers have also found that it saves money in the long-run.
For example, a 2005 study published in Radiology, states every $1 spent on inpatient imaging correlates to approximately $3 in total savings, and according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, every $385 spent on imaging decreases a patient’s hospital stay by one day, saving approximately $3,000 per patient.
