Philips builds on leadership in radiation safety with MITA Smart Dose XR-29 compliance

Andover, MA – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today confirmed that all new and refurbished Philips computed tomography (CT) systems sold in the U.S. meet the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) Smart Dose XR-29 standard. A longtime advocate and provider of low-dose solutions and services, Philips also announced that 100 percent of its installed CT systems, which are not end-of-life as of 2016, have an upgrade path to meet the Smart Dose XR-29 standard.
 
Radiation dose management has been a priority for many health systems over the past several years. With the passing of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act on April 1, 2014, Medicare will pay less for certain diagnostic CT scans performed on CT equipment that does not meet the MITA Smart Dose CT standard. Payments will be cut by five percent beginning in 2016, and up to 15 percent in 2017.
 
“Philips has a long history of promoting and designing solutions for radiation dose management and safety, and we are in full support of the MITA Smart Dose XR-29 standard,” said Gene Saragnese, executive vice president and CEO of Philips Imaging. “We’ve already put many of our customers on a path to compliance, and we remain committed to providing the industry with the tools, resources and guidance they need to keep patients and clinicians safe.”
 
While special XR-29 upgrade packages are available to most Philips installed base customers, Philips also offers a range of dose management solutions, with powerful tools including IMR. This algorithmic-based reconstruction technique is not required by MITA Smart Dose XR-29 standards, but customers using IMR can achieve 60-80 percent lower dose, while improving low-contrast detectability by 43-80 percent and lower image noise by 70-83 percent compared to standard reconstruction. The company plans to offer these solutions across the majority of its portfolio of new systems and upgrades.
 
“Philips has been key to our strategy to improve the safety profile of our CT examinations,” said Terence Matalon, MD and Department of Radiology Chairman for Einstein Healthcare Network. “Philips IMR is a disruptive dose management technology, and we’re rapidly working to extend this solution to all of our patients.”
 
The MITA XR-29 Smart Dose standards include four new feature requirements to help CT users perform high-quality diagnostic imaging while managing radiation dose:
 
DICOM Dose Structured Reporting – Recording of post-exam dose information in a standardized electronic format;
CT Dose Check – Dose notifications and dose alerts that notify operators and physicians when dose exceeds established thresholds;
Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) – Automatically adjusts the amount of radiation used, based on the size, shape and composition of the patient;
Pediatric & Adult Reference Protocols – Pre-loaded protocols on the CT systems that serve as a baseline for a variety of clinical tasks.
 
Philips will showcase its dose management solutions in booth #6742 at the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA), November 30th through December 5th in Chicago, Ill. Visit www.philips.com/rsna and follow @PhilipsHealth for more information on Philips’ presence at #RSNA14.
 
For more information on MITA Smart Dose visit: http://www.medicalimaging.org/policy-and-positions/mita-smart-dose/.  For more information on Philips innovative imaging systems that focus on the health continuum from prevention, screening and diagnosis, to treatment, recovery and home care, visit: www.philips.com/healthcare.