PROMOTION TOSHIBA’S HUMAN SMART COMMUNITY Advancing Patient Care While Reducing Costs BY MICHAE L RONEY Today’s healthcare landscape is shifting. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) is compelling hospitals, clinics and physicians to serve their patients in entirely new ways. This new reality has elevated the critical role of diagnostic imaging. “Frequently, healthcare institutions want guidance through these changes, and that’s our focus,” says Ryo Fujimoto, General Manager of Toshiba America Medical Systems, which sells and services radiology and cardiovascular systems and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research. “We built our business around this position, and it drives everything we do.” ENSURING OPTIMAL CARE One way the ACA has changed healthcare is the formula for how providers are reimbursed, linking payments more closely with results. “Reimbursements are divided among providers, with part of the payment based on patient feedback and medical outcomes, making it critical that every phase go as well as possible,” Fujimoto explains. “Diagnostic imaging is a small part of the whole care cycle when it’s measured in hours, days or even dollars. But this stage sets up what happens five steps ahead, and sometimes for the whole period of patient care. When used well, it sets up the care cycle to be efficient and effective.” Optimal patient care is paramount under the ACA, and dose reduction in imaging is critical. That is why Toshiba provides Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3D (AIDR 3D), a third-generation Ryo Fujimoto, General Manager, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. dose reconstruction software that comes patients safer while improving the standard on all Toshiba CTs. One cusexam experience. “For instance, we tomer, St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, have CTs and MRIs with larger bores, is using dose limiting technology, making it easier for the patient to reducing doses for brain imaging by go in and stay in,” explains Fujimoto. 30%, abdominal imaging by 59% and “Our MRI is also the quietest in the chest imaging by 60%. industry, making it as comfortable as Of course, safety is always possible to have a scan.” critical—for patients, providers and institutions. Toshiba’s 360 Degrees RETURN ON IMAGING of Safety program takes a holistic INVESTMENT approach, focusing not only on dose management, but also on patient Advanced diagnostic imaging experience and innovative designs helps providers and patients save that reduce operator error, making on healthcare costs over the long PROMOTION run by offering features to provide better outcomes for the patient and enhanced help for the care of populations, with more efficient workflows. “One great example is our partnership with Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, New York, where they specialize in stroke treatment,” says Fujimoto. “They save over a million dollars a year using our CT scanner, Aquilion ONE ViSION. Our Smart Fusion ultrasound technology allows a clinician to sync real-time ultrasound images with CT or MRI images, making it safer and more costeffective to use no-dose biopsy. In the short term, productivity is higher and cost of treatment is lower.” INNOVATION AND SERVICE “Toshiba has a tremendous history of technology innovation and a notable research-to-sales ratio,” Fujimoto points out. “In fact, many of our advanced imaging technologies are built on innovations developed for other areas of the business.” This innovative tradition is reflected in systems like e-Watch™, which monitors the power, temperature and humidity in the room in which the imaging system resides, and quickly detects problems that could lead to that equipment not performing at its full potential. Toshiba also offers a Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE ViSION can help healthcare facilities provide safe and fast CT examinations. remote diagnostic system that allows service engineers and applications specialists to see what is occurring on the systems 24/7. “With innovations like e-Watch, we can proactively address issues before they occur,” Fujimoto says. EDUCATION AND SUPPORT “Education is very important to our customers,” notes Fujimoto. “Hospitals make a big investment when they purchase any imaging product. That Human Smart Community Toshiba’s vision for the future is a “Human Smart Community” —a society that is technologically advanced but that puts people’s well-being first. With our focus on healthcare, energy and cloud and storage technology, we are working to create a future ideal of a safe, secure and comfortable society. In the future we envision, everyone everywhere can flourish and enjoy a rich and vibrant life. makes it very important for them to adopt new skills, use the equipment safely and provide the image quality physicians need to make a confident diagnosis.” He adds that Toshiba’s worldwide vision for Human Smart Community by lifenology dovetails with his company’s medical mission, which is to improve the quality of life for all people through a long-term, customer-focused partnership. “We’re dedicated to helping our customers understand the intricacies of these turbulent times, providing healthcare economic resources to staff and access to a call-in/e-mail contact for 24-hour turnaround on questions regarding reimbursement and coding. When our customers purchase a product, they also are acquiring a strong support relationship for its lifetime.” Lifenology We call the technologies needed to create this ideal society “lifenology”—a combination of “life” and “technology.” Toshiba lifenology is more than a single product or technology. Rather, by marrying the know-how behind a wide range of technologies, we create new value that can benefit people all around the world. Through “lifenology,” Toshiba will realize the “Human Smart Community.” To learn more about the Human Smart Community by lifenology, visit forbes.com/toshibalifenology4
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