2/27/2002
For Immediate Release
PREMIER REGIONAL HOSPITAL PURCHASES HITACHI'S ALTAIRE HIGH-FIELD PERFORMANCE OPEN MR SYSTEM
CONTACT:
Sheldon Schaffer
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc.
1959 Summit Commerce Park
Twinsburg, OH 44087
800.800.3106 or 330.425.1313 Ext. 5447
330.425.1410 Fax
Marsha Carter
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center
620 North Willow Street
Harrison, AR 72601
870.365.2454
info@hitachimed.com
www.hitachimed.com
Twinsburg, Ohio – February 27, 2002 – Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA) announced that North Arkansas Regional Medical Center recently purchased a Hitachi AltaireTM high-field performance Open MR system to replace their 1.0 Tesla closed-bore MR system.
“The decision to purchase a Hitachi Altaire system came after we evaluated a short list of manufacturers who could provide us with a MR imaging platform that addressed the needs of our competitive marketplace. We wanted to be able to provide patients with a comfortable scanning environment while offering excellent image quality to our physicians. Altaire enables us to do both,” commented Tim Hill, Chief Executive Officer of North Arkansas Regional Medical Center.
Robert Morris, M.D., Medical Director of Imaging Services, stated, “The Altaire represents the most advanced Open MRI technology in the world. It has the largest, most patient-friendly opening of any MRI scanner. Other Open MRI systems, while patient friendly, are limited by image quality and speed when compared with industry standard conventional high-field strength closed-bore MRI scanners. The Altaire provides the best of both technologies. It is fast, friendly and has much higher quality imaging than previously available open magnets.”
“The Altaire MR system was designed by Hitachi to incorporate VOSITM Technology where every sub-system has been optimized to work in concert with all other sub-systems to achieve high-field performance while maintaining cost-effectiveness,” stated Sheldon Schaffer, Vice President and General Manager of Magnetic Resonance at Hitachi.
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, located in Harrison in the heart of the Ozarks, is a premier healthcare provider offering a comprehensive array of medical services.
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. markets premium, high performance magnetic resonance imaging products of Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. These include the AIRIS®II Open MR system 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 more than 1,100 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.
