OTTAWA, April 18, 2017 /CNW/ - A grainy picture is not usually a thing of beauty. Artists might argue, but radiologists and health care decision-makers are among those likely to agree. That's why CADTH wants the best possible resolution for its upcoming Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory (CMII) and is encouraging the completion of a survey it sent out today to public and private health care administrators across Canada.

"We are in the business of providing the clearest possible picture of Canada's health technology landscape by using evidence, analysis, and data," said Dr. Brian O'Rourke, President and CEO of CADTH. "We want the CMII to provide high-quality information that supports excellent decisions about Canada's medical imaging equipment and hope for a high response rate to the survey."

Every two years, CADTH takes stock of Canada's medical imaging equipment in order to better understand what equipment exists and how it is used. The CMII survey is intended to be completed by administrators of health care facilities that operate specialized imaging technology — specifically CT, MRI, SPECT, SPECT-CT, PET, PET-CT, and PET-MRI.

"We are very glad CADTH has made it a priority to maintain the CMII," said Dr. William Miller, President of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Board of Directors. "The inventory is critical for health care decision-makers to understand what is being used well and to plan reasonably as old technologies become liabilities and new technologies offer opportunities."

For example, some newer machines provide better quality images in a fraction of the time, or can track actual radiation dosage. These improvements clearly represent a benefit to patients, in terms of both service and radiation exposure. Reduced imaging times also provide opportunities to see more patients or reallocate operating resources to relieve pressures elsewhere in the system.

CADTH is asking anyone with a role in Canada's specialized medical imaging sector to work with their organizations to ensure that the equipment they use and know about is accurately reflected in the inventory — so CMII's snapshot will have high resolution and emerge as a thing of beauty that is highly relevant to Canada's health care system.

The CMII survey gathers information about the actual equipment in use: its age, location, and technical characteristics. This allows for planning related to:

• when equipment might be replaced, upgraded, or refurbished
• where equipment might be needed
• mobile equipment and its deployment.

The survey also gathers information about usage, which gives decision-makers a picture of:

• the hospitals providing 24-hour and weekend services
• the potential life expectancy of equipment based on its use
• whether existing equipment can be used better
• options for managing wait-time targets, by redirecting patients to underused sites.

CADTH has sent the CMII survey to health care administrators across Canada, with a submission deadline of May 29, 2017. CADTH will then validate the information received and analyze data. The 2017 CMII will be made available in early 2018.

To participate in the survey, visit www.cadth.ca/CMII.

About CADTH
CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada's health care decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in our health care system. CADTH receives funding from Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments, with the exception of Quebec.

For further information:

Media Contact: Andrea Tiwari, Communications Officer, CADTH, 613 226 2553 ext. 1247, andreat@cadth.ca