Case Study:   Dr. Van Petegem has a 2 doctor practice where he radiographs 10-30 patients per month. The reason he is going digital is because his processor is on the fritz. He also wants to attract new associates and improve the quality of the images in his hospital. Finally, he would like to decrease the number of retakes at his hospital. He does not need a new x-ray system. When Dr. V came to me he was planning on purchasing a DR system and new x-ray system for $89,000.00. He wanted to know if that was the right system for his practice.

My answer was a resounding NO! 

The firs step in deciding on a digital radiography system is to identify your needs and purchase a system that meets those needs. Dr. V needs  a system that will improve the image quality, decrease retakes, and attract new associates.  He does not need a system that will increase the throughput of patients through his hospital. Decreasing the time his technicians spend taking films (other than getting rid of the retakes) was not an issue for him. So why did he feel that he needed a DR system?

Dr. V talked with dozens of vendors and fell prey to the DR marketing system.  There is nothing wrong with DR systems (if you have the money and caseload by all means get one),  however, do not mistake marketing mumbo jumbo for fact. 

The DR industry will try to convince you that:

• DR images are better than CR images or that you will miss a diagnosis with CR: This is (in many cases) FALSE. Many (not all) CR systems have better image quality than more expensive DR systems. You can learn this first hand by comparing the image quality of the various systems on the SHOWDOWN DVD. NOTE: it is very difficult to make generalizations. There are crummy CR systems out there and there are excellent DR systems as well. This statement only pertains to top quality CR systems and should not be taken to mean that DR systems are not worthwhile.  

• CR is getting phased out and will be obsolete in the next 6 months: FALSE many of the new digital installations on the human side are CR and development is going strong.

• CR is old technology: This is TRUE, however, this is why you want it. CR is mature and stable. Some of the newer DR systems have many bugs and can be hit or miss.  

The bottom line with all of this is that the only important difference between a quality CR system and a quality DR system is the speed of image acquisition. If obtaining images faster and moving patients through your hospital faster is not a primary reason why you are getting a digital radiography system, you should consider saving yourself  $40-60,000.00 and get a good CR system. Spending 60K to give your technician an extra 2 minute smoking break each day seems silly. Doesn’t it?

 For more information about purchasing a digital radiography you can contact us or  try these other articles.

Matt Wright DVM DACVR