9/17/2001
For Immediate Release
MIDWEST DIAGNOSTIC CENTER REPLACES 1.5T SYSTEM WITH HITACHI’S ALTAIRE 0.7T OPEN MR SYSTEM
CONTACT:
Sheldon Schaffer
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc.
1959 Summit Commerce Park
Twinsburg, Ohio 44087
800.800.3106 or 330.425.1313 Ext. 5447
330.425.1410 Fax
info@hitachimed.com
Sharon Fasl
Administrative Director
Medical Diagnostic Center
18640 East 38th St Terrace South
Independence, MO 64057
816.795.8822
mdcmri@planetkc.com
www.hitachimed.com
Twinsburg, Ohio – September 17, 2001 – Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA) announced that Medical Diagnostic Center, a member of the Health Midwest hospital system in Kansas City, Missouri, recently purchased a Hitachi AltaireTM high-field performance Open MR system to replace their 1.5 Tesla closed-bore MR system.
Previously, Medical Diagnostic Center operated a conventional high-field 1.5 Tesla system since it began its operation in 1987. According to Richard Cronnemeyer, M.D., Medical Director, more patients began to choose open systems for their MR exams. “We initially thought we would purchase a 1.0T closed short-bore system, but when we were introduced to Hitachi’s Altaire system, we knew we had found the best of both worlds, high-field performance and image quality coupled with the patient comfort of Open MR.”
Sharon Fasl, Administrative Director at Medical Diagnostic Center, said, “Hitachi’s Altaire system produces images comparable to that of 1.5T systems with all of the advantages of an open architecture. This technology is the future of MR imaging, and we wanted to be one of the forerunners.”
“When we had a closed-bore high-field system, we lost some of our patients to centers with open systems in the Kansas City area. In order to be competitive in our marketplace, we decided to purchase the Hitachi Altaire system, providing our patients with a comfortable scanning environment and providing our physicians with the image quality they need to make a comprehensive diagnosis”, commented Mike Chappelow, General Partner of Medical Diagnostic Center and Chief Executive Officer of Independence Regional Medical Center.
“Altaire responds to the market’s demand for an MR imaging system that delivers exceptional image quality and high patient throughput in an Open MR environment,” stated Sheldon Schaffer, Vice President and General Manager of Magnetic Resonance at Hitachi. “Every sub-system has been optimized to work in concert with all other sub-systems to achieve high-field performance while maintaining cost-effectiveness.”
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. markets premium, high performance magnetic resonance imaging products of Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. These include the AIRIS® and AIRIS II Open MR systems with advanced permanent magnet technology and the new Altaire high-field performance Open MR system. HMSA has established a leadership position in Open MR imaging with 1,000 systems installed throughout the United States and over 2,300 worldwide. Since the company first popularized the concept of Open MR over a decade ago, it has been the fastest growing segment of MR imaging.
