Agfa Receives Frost & Sullivan 2019 Global New Product Innovation Award for Multi-Purpose Digital Radiography System, DR 800

MORTSEL, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

• DR 800* multipurpose digital radiography solution delivers radiography, fluoroscopy and advanced clinical applications in a single investment.
• Frost & Sullivan states that the 3-in-1 DR 800 streamlines imaging workflows while improving productivity and patient care.
• Dynamic MUSICA image processing, for moving and static images, is a "key differentiator … consistently producing high-quality radiographs for an accurate diagnosis from the first image".

Agfa announces today that it has received Frost & Sullivan's 2019 award for New Product Innovation Leader in the Global Multipurpose Digital Radiography Systems Market. The award further highlights the value proposition of Agfa's DR systems, which "revolves around maximizing patient care quality and safety, while still optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI)".

Previously, Frost & Sullivan recognized the strong overall performance of Agfa's comprehensive DR portfolio with the North American Product Leadership Award for Digital Radiography, in 2016.

An innovative approach to optimizing new technologies

This newest award distinguishes Agfa's DR 800 multipurpose digital imaging system. The prestigious recognition is based on Frost & Sullivan's extensive and ongoing analysis of the multipurpose DR systems market.

The award report describes how technology previously kept static and dynamic (fluoroscopy) imaging separate, due in part to different detector material optimization, which allowed either the use of low-dose beams for real-time imaging or of stronger X-ray beams for single-shot imaging.  Newer technologies, including Cesium Iodide (CsI), however, enable static and dynamic imaging to be brought together.

Frost & Sullivan recognizes that, with the innovative DR 800, Agfa has tapped into this new opportunity. The 3-in-1 system enables clinicians to perform general radiography and a full range of fluoroscopy examinations in one integrated, versatile imaging room, without a separate investment in fluoroscopy.

The award also highlights that the MUSICA Dynamic Multi-Scale Image Contrast Amplification processing further strengthens the value-driven proposition of the DR 800 in digital radiography.

According to the report, "Agfa aligns design features and state-of-the-art technologies, including its best-in-class Dynamic MUSICA, to set higher image quality, workflow productivity and dose optimization standards. The DR 800 allows healthcare organizations to… generate efficiencies through increased utilization rates, minimize exam preparation and procedure times, and provide high-quality, patient-centered care."

Customer-driven development, to address unmet needs

Frost & Sullivan also praises Agfa's "purposeful design and customer-driven innovation" approach to addressing unmet market needs. It describes how the company "worked alongside radiologists, technologists, and administrators at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Florida Hospital, the largest healthcare provider in the US Southeast, while designing the DR 800 system."

The report concludes that the DR 800 "allows healthcare organizations to optimize total cost of ownership and return on investment, maximizing productivity while providing high-quality, patient-centered care. Its commitment to technological leadership and customer-driven innovation earn Agfa the 2019 Frost & Sullivan Global New Product Innovation Award."

"We are delighted to again be recognized by Frost & Sullivan not only for our DR solutions, but also for our customer-driven development approach and our commitment to delivering value and performance," comments Georges Espada,  Head of Business Unit CR & DR at Agfa. "The DR 800 is a clear result of this approach. We like to use the analogy of a Swiss army knife to describe it: it is adept at doing any procedure without compromising quality. Hospitals can use the DR 800 X-ray room all day long for different procedures; for instance, fluoroscopy in the mornings, radiographic work at nighttime, and, in the afternoon, procedures requiring a sterile field such as biopsies or speech pathologist studies."

*DR 800 is not yet available in Canada.

About Agfa

Agfa NV is one of the world's leading companies in imaging technology. Agfa NV develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry, for the healthcare sector, and for specific industrial applications.  The group has more than 150 years of imaging experience.  The healthcare division delivers diagnostic imaging solutions that set standards in productivity, safety, clinical value and cost effectiveness.  Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe.

SOURCE Agfa Healthcare