TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building on over a decade of commitment in helping health care facilities pursue greater patient care and safety, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management and Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.awarded one grant of up to $10,000 to an Integrated Delivery Network (IDN) and six grants of up to $7,500—two focused on pediatric imaging, two on overall patient care and safety in imaging and two on oncology imaging. Thanks to the 11th Putting Patients First program, seven leading health care providers have the ability to fund education and training programs to enhance the patient experience and safety in diagnostic imaging.

“High-quality diagnostic imaging plays a significant role in improving patient care, but unfortunately many health care facilities don’t have the resources to attain the proper equipment or implement the training and education needed to increase patient comfort and diagnose diseases more quickly and accurately,” said Angelic Bush, CRA, FAHRA, president, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management. “This year’s selected recipients presented remarkable programs that with the help of this funding, will not only advance safety and patient care, but will take the lead in providing new best practices and research for hospitals and health care facilities across the nation.”

The IDN grant has been awarded to:

• Einstein Healthcare Network (Philadelphia, Pa.) will create an advanced software solution with automatic detection of intracranial hemorrhage on non-contrast CT brain images to reduce the time it takes to generate preliminary or final reports by the radiologist, allowing them to prioritize their workflow and analyze the most acute examinations first to improve patient care.

Pediatric grants have been awarded to:

• Lexington Medical Center (Lexington, Neb.), a Critical Access Hospital, will be able to offer more sustainable forms of pediatric patient immobilization through the purchase of immobilization systems, allowing technologists to better position patients in a fashion that is safer for the patient, technologist and additional bystanders by preventing unnecessary exposure to radiation.
• Nemours Children's Hospital (Orlando, Fla.) will be able to reduce sedation and costs while minimizing time in pediatric MRI scanning through the use of two new MRI mini models and play based therapy.

Overall patient care and safety grants have been awarded to:

• University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, Md.) will be able to provide an Electronic Patient Tracking Board and Waiting Room Care Card to patients and their loved ones to improve comfort and reduce anxiety by educating them on the phases of care they can expect to receive while they are in the hospital for an outpatient interventional procedure.
• Inova Alexandria Hospital (Alexandria, Va.) will advance patient comfort and safety in mammography by investing in a Hausted Mammography/Biopsy chair which includes a hydraulic base to raise a wider range of patients to the necessary height to perform the exam and accommodate patients that become distressed during the invasive procedure.

Oncology grants have been awarded to:

• CARTI Cancer Center (Conway, Ark.) will be able to help improve patient clinical pathway with point-of-care lab testing, thanks to the purchase of their own I-Stat unit, a lightweight device that checks patients’ lab work and allows CARTI’s imaging technologists to deliver more accurate results prior to CT and MRI scans.
• University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine / Tampa General Hospital (Tampa, Fla.) will initiate a study to test the effectiveness of 3D printing on patient understanding of their diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and help improve management of the condition.

“Patient care is the cornerstone of everything we strive for at Canon Medical, and we are committed to developing imaging technology that allows health care providers deliver safe, comfortable and accurate exams to their patients,” said Catherine Wolfe, senior director, Strategic Communications and Market Intelligence, Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc. “That is why we continue to build upon and prioritize the Putting Patients First grant program and make it possible for facilities to advance their level of patient care with new research, equipment, education courses and training.”

About AHRA

AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management is the professional organization representing management at all levels of hospital imaging departments, freestanding imaging centers, and group practices. Founded in 1973, AHRA’s over 5,000 members reach across the country and around the world. AHRA offers a complete slate of professional development programs including a comprehensive selection of educational conferences and seminars, networking opportunities, award winning publications, and the Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) credential.

About Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.

Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc., headquartered in Tustin, Calif., markets, sells, distributes and services radiology and cardiovascular systems, including CT, MR, ultrasound, X-ray and interventional X-ray equipment. For more information, visit Canon Medical Systems’ website at https://us.medical.canon.

About Canon Medical Systems Corporation

Canon Medical Systems Corporation develops and manufactures diagnostic imaging systems including CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray systems and clinical laboratory systems and provides them to around 140 countries and regions around the world, offering technology that provides faster diagnosis and early treatment. Under the slogan "Made for Life" (Made for Partnerships, Made for Patients, Made for You.), Canon Medical Systems is making positive contributions toward hospital management, and provides a range of patient-friendly healthcare systems and services, continuing its long tradition of contributing to healthcare.