Monday, March 24, 2008

Concerned About Scatter Radiation???

Concerned by the recent information from ISI on the levels of scatter radiation produced by the i-Cat, I contacted a friend of mine who is a radiation physicist and asked if my layout was safe. This is the response I received.

"Based on the info attached for the scatter measurements (20 second scan measured at 3, 6 & 9 feet from the source of scatter), as long as you stand 9 feet away, you can do up to 50 scans/week without any additional shielding and still be at the exposure level for public occupancy (100 mR/year), much less controlled occupancy."

I feel a lot less concerned now.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Letter from Dick Greenan

I have copied a letter received today from Mr. Dick Greenan, who is the President of Imaging Systems, Inc. and have also posted a response from Arun Singh, VP of Technology with Imaging Sciences International.

Even though the names of the two companies are very similar, do not confuse them.

Please attend the i-CAT users meeting this Sunday, March 16 at the Universal Hilton Hotel, Universal City. CA starting at 8:30am and Arun will elaborate on this issue.


Here is the letter from Mr. Greenan:


March 6, 2008

Subject: UPDATE

Dear Customer:

The Dental industry has historically not been without its ups and downs and Imaging Systems, Inc. has not been excluded from this evolution. We have been your Imaging resource since the Qunit Sectograph Tomographic System (discontinued by the Quint Sectograph Corp in 1988), the CommCAT Tomographic System (discontinued for parts & service by Imaging Sciences Int’l after only 6 yrs!) and possible the Panorex CMT which now appears to be following the same fate!

We have discontinued the Imaging Sciences iCAT systems due to an increasing poor quality control experience, customer disservice, numerous false promises regarding disposition and whereabouts of your parts, etc. We can no longer tolerate such activity and for leverage, have severed our relationship with Imaging Sciences, Int’l. and Sullivan-Schein Dental. We have built an infallible reputation for installing, teaching and servicing the latest, trouble-free imaging equipment and sincerely apologize for the maladies so many of you have experienced for matters totally out of our control.

We have many customers that are very pleased with their iCATs and this phenomenal technology but we also have those frustrated few that have experienced problems to which the manufacturer, in our opinion, has not taken the necessary responsibility with a permanent fix.

We will continue to provide that service wherever we can. If you do have a problem, always call us first (800-628-1302) and there will always be a warm body answering the phone 8-5 EST (no voice mail unless after hours) and if we do require further assistance w will make the necessary call for you – I trust that this customer service and follow-up is the reason why you purchased from Imaging Systems, Inc. in the first place! We will always go the extra mile for all of our customers.

Our service reputation over the years has never been just limited to the iCAT, but the Quint Sectograph, CommCAT, Panorex CMT in addition to a multitude of ancillary imaging equipment! This is what we do, so please, let’s stay in touch! I am still taking calls on the Quint Sectograph which closed its doors back in 1988! This is what we do!

In our steadfast quest for the finest in Diagnostic Imaging Equipment, we feel honored to now welcome AFP’s NewTom’s line of cone beam CT (CBCT) to our family. The NewTom 3G supine cone beam CT has been the first and the number one CBCT on both the medical and dental market for 10 years with an exemplary track record! AFP has now just introduced their new upright 9or sit down!) NewTom VG Model (www.goodxrays.com) with a full 9.8’ sensor, Smart Beam Technology and a superior manufacturing and R&D history.

We are also pleased to announce construction of our new 10,000 sq ft Learning Center, Dental X-ray Laboratory, Dental Clinic and Home Office to be completed Fall 2008. You can tune into www.goodxrays.com to track our progress and multitude of new imaging and diagnostic courses.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and past support – it is most sincerely appreciated. And as always, we will continue to provide that necessary technical support so please do not hesitate to call us. We look forward to an even longer and lasting relationship!

Sincerely,
Dick Greenan, President
Imaging Systems, Inc.



Here is the response from Arun Singh, VP and Chief Technology Officer with Imaging Sciences International:

Since Mr. Greenan’s statements have been publicly posted, I am compelled to respond in order to dispel some of the myths and misrepresentations.

First of all, Imaging Systems did not discontinue the iCAT, rather Mr. Greenan’s distributorship was terminated by our exclusive distributor in North America , Sullivan Schein Dental, for I believe justifiable reasons. I am going to refrain from getting into further details on this particular development.

As far as Mr. Greenan’s claims of “increasing poor quality control, customer disservice, numerous false promises regarding disposition and whereabouts of our customers' parts, etc.”, he sold and installed about 15 iCATs just in the last 4-5 months, when he of course represented the iCAT’s quality and its support to be the best in the industry in order to secure these orders under fairly active competition. Obviously things did not change that drastically overnight, so at which time was he being truthful? Given the fact that he is no longer permitted to represent the iCAT, rather now needs to compete with it, the answer is quite obvious.

Dr. Highsmith just gave an example of exemplary service: “For example, last Monday we had a problem with the machine, and they diagnosed it as a motherboard problem. On
Wednesday, a new motherboard was in our office. It was pretty simple to install, and they talked an assistant thru the process on the phone, and all is well. Please note that it would not have been possible if we (Imaging Sciences) did not promptly configure, program and ship a motherboard; and didn’t meticulously design it to be simple to install.

In a more general perspective, Mr. Greenan simply wouldn’t have earned all these accolades without a superior product and a company behind it to provide all aspects of support, expertise, training & upgrades. Of course nothing can be expected to be perfect, certainly not a product of this sophistication along with the recent surging volume, and occasional mishaps would occur. However, it is extremely convenient to take the credit for all the positives, and deflect the blame to the manufacturer for anything that went wrong along the way.

Finally, on the issue of discontinued products, a rapid shift in technology and unavailability of certain parts, coupled with extremely low demand, makes it a necessary and the only practical approach in certain circumstances.

Arun Singh

Chief Technology Officer
Imaging Sciences International (i-CAT)