An In-House Solution For Bone Density Testing

There is a new bone densitometer from Alara, Inc. available from Dicom Solutions. This device offers an in-house solution for bone density testing. Prior to this, patients who needed bone density testing had to have the test performed in the imaging center of a hospital, which had the effect of slowing down the test results as well as making it less convenient for patients.

The new bone densitometer, called MetriScan, can identify osteoporosis, monitor patients’ response to osteoporosis treatment as well as test for their risk for fractures. The bone densitometer also allows physicians, after reviewing patients’ personal and family medical history, to perform bone density tests or bone mass measurements in-house.

Key features of the MetriScan bone densitometer include very short processing time for test results. Getting test results takes only one minute, and if you wish to print out the results, one additional minute is all it takes. The test itself is performed by the bone densitometer in less than one second.

Other features include automatic calibration checks for a very low clinical precision error rate. Patients require no preparation for the test and the test itself is painless. Radiation levels for the test are lower than five percent of that used in acquiring a dental x-ray.

The most common uses for the bone densitometer are for small or mid-sized medical facilities, especially those with primary care physicians. Patient care improves because at-risk patients can be tested for bone mineral density more often as a part of their routine examinations, and the testing is covered by Medicare for senior patients.