How Philips Healthcare Ultrasound Imaging System is Reinventing Medical Imaging?

Patient innovation in medical imaging has accelerated since the last decade. There is an increasing concern amongst healthcare stakeholders over excessive radiation dose, image quality and the efficient utilization of the existing diagnostic imaging tests. Philips Healthcare has been a pioneer in medical imaging diagnostics and is revolutionizing the healthcare delivery through introducing advancements in imaging technologies.

Philips Healthcare Ultrasound systems are aimed to improve healthcare outcomes through more tailored diagnosis and treatment, increased efficiency and portability. Its wide portfolio caters to almost every domain of medical imaging ranging from cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, liver and vascular imaging to general imaging. Philips Healthcare is demonstrating these innovative systems at the on-going Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA 2017) annual event in Jaipur, India. This event is attended by more than 3000 health professionals, scientist, radiologists and professionals working in allied fields.

Mr. V. Gnanakumar, Business Manager, Radiology Ultrasound, Philips says “Philips invests a lot in new R&D and focuses on clinical utility. The major differentiation lies in how fast an operator of the ultrasound machine can perform an activity. For example, if somebody is performing an obstetrics scan-Philips ultrasound machines will reduce the time to perform this activity by the user and leading to a faster more accurate diagnosis. Higher-end tools such Philips EPIQ reduces this to a considerable extent. Hence, Philips is bringing these high end technologies to a new segment of ultrasound machines called the Affinity. EPIQ is the premium segment followed by the Affinity portfolio and ClearVue Elite 350 systems. An excellent point about these two portfolios is that the end result i.e the medical image quality remains the same. Only difference is that with Affinity the operator will take a little extra time to complete the procedure.”

He also highlights the business model of hospitals and diagnostic centers in procuring these ultrasound machines from Philips. He continues “Ultrasound is the quickest revenue generator for a doctor. In a metro or tier-1 city, if a doctor wants to go for a more accurate diagnosis, he refers the patient to a diagnostic center which has a EPIQ machine. Such ‘referral centers’ will have 1 EPIQ and 2 Affinity machines. So, whenever there is a critical case, they use EPIQ machine and for normal cases they utilize the Affinity platform. Many components are compatible for both the machines; hence there is no need for extra investments which improves the affordability quotient. Affinity platform sells more in tier-1 cities whereas EPIQ sells more in metro cities in India. The Affinity 70 platform is very close to EPIQ where the delta is not much and hence is preferred by many. Stakeholders invest in Affinity platform so that they do not have to compromise on accurate diagnosis.”

These revolutionary ultrasound platforms also have different specifications for various purposes. EPIQ 7G is for general imaging, EPIQ 7W is for women healthcare and 7C is for cardiology.

EPIQ Evolution 2.0

This premium segment ultrasound platform is one of the most powerful architecture ever applied to ultrasound imaging – touching all aspects of acoustic acquisition and processing. It has the following major features:

1. Security systems that help protect medical equipment from patient data breaches
2. OmniSphere, an ecosystem of tools, applications and solutions that help increase business efficiency and optimize operations
3. Anatomical Intelligence: automating repetitive steps to full, computer-driven analysis with minimal user interaction
4. iSCAN for automatic image optimization
5. Excellent ergonomics to reduce repetitive stress injuries

Affinity

This system is equipped with automation features that lead to enhanced workflow for a quick and accurate diagnosis. It has the following major features:

1. Real time iSCAN for automatic image optimization
2. Universal platform: Shares technologies, transducers, workflow improvement, reporting and security features with the premium ultrasound system – EPIQ.
3. Advanced applications: With the Shearwave and Strain based Elastography this platform brings the latest applications in ultrasound imaging

You can reach out to Mr. V. Gnanakumar on LinkedIn and follow him @gnanakumar.

Also, to learn more about Philips Healthcare Ultrasound portfolio, please visit: http://www.philips.co.in/healthcare/solutions/ultrasound