10/15/2002
For Immediate Release
MAJOR INTEGRATED HEALTH DELIVERY NETWORK SYSTEM PURCHASES MULTIPLE HITACHI OPEN MR SYSTEMS
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
Echelle Lane
Director of Corporate Communications
Baptist Memorial Health Care
901.227.3514
info@hitachimed.com
www.hitachimed.com
Twinsburg, Ohio – October 15, 2002 – Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA) announced that Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) of Memphis, Tennessee recently purchased three Hitachi AltaireTM high-field performance Open MR systems and two Hitachi AIRIS®II premium performance Open MR systems. BMHCC now owns and operates ten Hitachi systems within the hospital network that serves the Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas markets.
“In market areas where we compete with 1.5 Tesla systems, we purchased Hitachi Altaire systems. We are confident that Altaire’s image quality will meet if not exceed the expectations of our physicians and that our patients will enjoy the comforts of being scanned in an Open MRI system”, commented Johnny Stanford, System Administrator of Clinical Operations for BMHCC.
Stanford continued, “We purchased two AIRIS II systems for hospitals in Covington and Huntington Tennessee to replace mobile MRI systems. We look forward to offering enhanced patient care at these facilities where the AIRIS II will be the only MRI.”
“Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation’s multi-system purchase over the past few years further demonstrates Hitachi’s ability to provide MRI systems for the entire marketplace,” stated William Valters, Vice President, Sales for HMSA.
One of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the United States, Baptist Memorial Health Care is an integrated health care delivery system offering a full continuum of care to communities throughout Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Baptist is home to many world-renowned physicians, and the system has received numerous national awards, such as being among U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals." With the intention of caring for people close to their homes, the Baptist network consists of 17 hospitals; more than 2,700 affiliated physicians; home, hospice and psychiatric care; minor medical clinics; a chain of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences.
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. markets advanced medical imaging products to meet a variety of healthcare needs, including premium, high performance magnetic resonance imaging products of Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. HMSA has established a leadership position in Open MR imaging with more than 1,200 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. Direct Digital Radiography has become the accepted standard in the high throughput x-ray sector and, through a relationship with Swissray, HMSA has assumed a market leadership position. In addition, HMSA has teamed-up with CPS Innovations, the market leader in dedicated clinical PET technology. HMSA's first PET system, called SceptreTM,features LSO detectors and the latest in sophisticated corrections and reconstruction algorithms.
The parent company of HMSA, Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2001 (ended March 31, 2002) consolidated sales totaled 7,994 billion yen ($60.1 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's web site at http://global.hitachi.com.
