2011 CVC – Kansas City: Dr. Seth Wallack Recaps His Digital Radiography Lecture

Speaking at CVC in Kansas City this year was an incredible experience. Educating—and often being educated—about veterinary radiology was priceless. Digital radiography still seems to be the buzz word, as I especially learned from the feedback I received following my lecture on the subject. One attendee thought the lecture was so worthwhile that they asked me to get my main point out to the rest of the veterinary community. So for those who were unable to attend, here is my take-home message:

“It is a great time to be in the market to go digital, but the focus should be less on the price and more on customer service.”

The competitive hardware market has lead to competitive pricing, and those looking to buy a system can now get more for their money. But buying a system based on price alone—unless you are a computer-networking, DICOM, and equipment-repair whiz—is not recommended.

Historically, image quality was the deciding factor between systems, but this is no longer the case. The gap in image quality between systems has closed significantly in recent times, and the real distinction between digital vendors now appears to be customer service. Therefore, it should weigh heavily into your purchase decision. In my opinion, the consequence of poor or unreliable customer service is not worth the initial cost savings. Having your digital system down for a week can mean lost revenue and lost clients.

Overall, if you are extremely tech savvy with computers, networks, and equipment, there are plenty of deals to be had on hardware. However, for the mere mortal, I recommend that you focus more on the company’s customer service record and less on cost.

In the future, I foresee integration of the image directly into the medical record, including charge capture, to become a factor in the purchase decision.

-Seth Wallack, DVM, DACVR