Agfa HealthCare and Hitachi Medical Systems America enter a strategic sales and marketing alliance for the US market

- Hitachi selects Agfa HealthCare as its radiography affiliate for the vast benefits of its DR and CR products including industry-leading image quality at up to 60% lower radiation dose when used with Cesium-based detectors*, and streamlined workflow and reduced examination times provided by the unique Agfa HealthCare MUSICA technology. - Collaboration leverages strengths of both companies by creating vast synergies to complement market segments and product lines. - Hitachi is now able to offer a more comprehensive portfolio of imaging solutions with an unmatched value proposition for U.S. healthcare providers.

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announced today that it has entered into a sales and marketing agreement with Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (Hitachi) whereby Hitachi will promote Agfa HealthCare’s complete portfolio of Direct Radiography (DR) and Computed Radiography (CR) solutions to its large and growing community of MRI and CT customers in the United States, including hospitals, imaging centers and orthopedic clinics. Agfa HealthCare’s service and applications organization will provide all support services, giving Hitachi customers access to Agfa HealthCare’s team of specialists for optimal customer satisfaction.

“This strategic alliance with Agfa HealthCare will expand Hitachi’s radiology product portfolio in the U.S. into a more comprehensive offering of imaging technologies, including MRI, CT, Ultrasound (through Hitachi Aloka Medical America) and now DR and CR, which will allow us to further leverage our current sales and marketing activities, while better servicing the wide ranging needs of our customers. The impressive dose reduction, image quality and throughput of Agfa HealthCare’s DR and CR products and their commitment to operational excellence convinced us they are the ideal solution provider to further expand our product offerings to our customers,” commented Don Broomfield, CEO and President, Hitachi.

Agfa HealthCare’s complete DR and CR portfolios are designed to meet the digital imaging needs of any size facility, from high-throughput radiology and emergency departments to outpatient imaging centers and clinics. In addition to complete imaging systems, Hitachi’s customers will benefit from the advantages of Agfa HealthCare’s mobile DR systems and vendor-neutral DR retrofit solutions, which enable the upgrade of existing radiography systems to DR performance in a cost-effective fashion, providing a fast return on investment.

Agfa HealthCare’s DR solutions, when used with the patented MUSICA image processing and Cesium Iodide (CsI) detectors, allow dose reductions of up to 60%*, compared to conventional CR and DR technologies, giving health care providers more control over dose management during each X-ray exam. In addition, MUSICA software brings multi-scaled image processing to a new level by showing excellent detail in low noise images that allow customers to consistently capture images with market-leading image quality.

“We are very pleased to be working with Hitachi Medical Systems America. Being chosen by a highly successful provider of innovative, high quality imaging technology is a testament to the unique value proposition our DR and CR solutions offer healthcare providers. As the leader in Open MRI technology and outpatient imaging, Hitachi offers us access to a market segment we are not traditionally focused on – fueling future growth of our imaging business – especially in DR. I am confident they will find success upgrading their MRI and CT customers to DR technology and providing their users with the clinical benefits of Agfa HealthCare systems,” said Bill Corsten, Regional President, Agfa HealthCare North America. “Hitachi’s success is based on unique state-of-the-art imaging technology and a very strong commitment to customer support and satisfaction. We are proud that our DR and CR portfolio will become a part of their customer offering.”

(*)Testing by Agfa HealthCare with board certified Radiologists has determined that Cesium Bromide (CR) and Cesium Iodide (DR) Detectors when used with MUSICA processing can provide dose reductions between 50 to 60% when compared to traditional Barium Fluoro Bromide CR systems. Contact Agfa HealthCare for more details.
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