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February 27, 2017

AHRA and Toshiba Medical Announce 2016 Putting Patients First Grant Winners

Ninth Annual Program Grant Total Reaches $555,000; 57 Grants

TUSTIN, Calif., Feb. 27, 2017 — Seven leading healthcare providers will be able to fund education and training programs to improve the patient experience and safety in diagnostic imaging, thanks to the ninth annual 2016 Putting Patients First grants. AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management and Toshiba Medical awarded one grant of up to $20,000 to an Integrated Delivery Network (IDN) and six grants of up to $7,500—three focused on pediatric imaging and three on overall patient care and safety in imaging.

“Diagnostic imaging plays a significant role in improving patient care, but many healthcare providers may not have the resources to implement the right training and education to diagnose diseases earlier and more accurately, making programs like Putting Patients First critical,” said Jason Newmark, CRA, FAHRA, president, AHRA. “This year’s selected recipients presented distinct programs that will improve safety and patient care, as well as provide new best practices to share with many other hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the country.”

The IDN grant has been awarded to:

• New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center (New York, N.Y.) will create a pediatric-friendly numbing wrap to place on IV injection sites to help ease pain and fear, and reduce anesthesia use, in children receiving an injection.

Pediatric grants have been awarded to:

• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Hartford, Conn.) will create a series of YouTube videos that describe the imaging experience to improve communication and help prepare patients and their families for upcoming exams.
• Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center (Chamberlain, S.D.) will be able to leverage new ultrasound technologies for safer, less invasive exams to diagnose acute appendicitis in pediatric patients.
• Community Wellness Center (West Linn, Ore.) will create a mobile radiography room with safeguards like lead walls to reduce radiation exposure, helping to improve patient safety and expand the services the Center is able to offer.

Overall patient care and safety grants have been awarded to:

• Luke’s Hospital (Maumee, Ohio) will improve the video and audio technology it uses during MRI exams to alleviate patient claustrophobia and reduce the need for sedation, improving comfort, safety and the overall patient experience.
• Shands at the University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.) will establish educational training to decrease radiation dose in fluoroscopy by performing only clinically indicated procedures, which will also help improve workflow and reduce patient wait times.
• HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center (Green Bay, Wis.) will purchase a patient lift for its fluoroscopy room, which will help reduce injuries to staff and improve safety and comfort for patients.

“Patient health is at the heart of everything we do at Toshiba Medical, and we have a strong commitment to developing imaging technology that allows healthcare providers to deliver safe, comfortable and accurate exams to their patients,” said Cathy Wolfe, senior director, Strategic Communications and Market Intelligence, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. “The Putting Patients First grant program makes it possible for healthcare providers to fund significant equipment improvements, education courses and training that allow them to provide the best possible patient care.”

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 Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.

Toshiba America Medical Systems, a Canon Group company 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 Toshiba Medical’s website at www.medical.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba Medical

Toshiba Medical offers a full range of diagnostic medical imaging solutions including Ultrasound, CT, X-Ray, and MR, across the globe. As of December 2016, Toshiba Medical became a member of the Canon Group. In line with our continued Made for Life philosophy, patients are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to provide medical professionals with solutions that support their efforts in contributing to the health and wellbeing of patients worldwide so that together our industry-leading solutions deliver an enriched quality of life.