New Device Improves Quality of Imaging, Patient Experience
Leawood, Kansas (PRWEB) November 18, 2009 -- By the end of this year, nearly 70,000 Americans will have been diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. When early detection is key to survival, thorough and accurate skin cancer screenings become one's first line of defense. But what do you do if you discover today's standard screening isn't as efficient and reliable as it could be? If you are Neal Nurnberg, you seek out a better way.
Having been diagnosed with a Clark's Level III melanoma, the 30-year-old from Overland Park, Kan., couldn't believe the outdated and inefficient process that is used by most physicians to record and monitor the appearance of lesions during a skin cancer screening.
"Like most dermatologists, my physician measured suspicious moles by hand and called out each measurement, shape and color to his assistant, who wrote it down on paper." Nurnberg said. "Then, his office used a standard digital camera to record the lesions for future reference."
Nurnberg noticed it took multiple attempts for the physician's assistant to capture a clear photograph, and even then, the images were inconsistent due to changes in room lighting and distance between the camera and skin. Additionally, any recorded information had to be entered into his electronic medical record manually.
"I remember feeling like this process took a lot of time and allowed a lot of room for error," Nurnberg said. "I left the doctor's office thinking surely there must be some technology out there that can benefit these doctors and their patients."
Soon after, Nurnberg and business partner Jacob Golden formed MidCon Distribution to seek out and bring innovative medical products, such as the Optomed Smartscope M3-1®, to physician practices across the United States. Developed in Finland, the Smartscope is a handheld, cordless digital imaging device that uses LED lighting and a fixed-zoom lens to produce consistent, reliable images during skin cancer screenings. The Macro Image Manager, software that Nurnberg and Golden designed specifically for the Smartscope, measures lesions automatically and allows a physician to attach notations to the images. This information then becomes part of a patient's electronic medical record and is archived to track lesion progression over time.
"The Smartscope and its software help diminish the opportunity for human error when it comes to recording and monitoring skin lesions that could be cancerous," Nurnberg said. "This not only saves the physician time while collecting accurate information, it offers the patient a better experience as well as peace of mind."
Available exclusively through MidCon Distribution, the Smartscope is priced thousands of dollars less than bulky, wired digital imaging devices, making it an affordable alternative to other digital dermatoscopes currently on the market. Additionally, the Smartscope's robust capabilities make it an ideal addition to any general or dermatology practice seeking to offer reliable, breakthrough medical technology to patients.
About MidCon Distribution, Inc.
MidCon Distribution, Inc. (MidCon) is dedicated to advancing quality healthcare by bringing innovative, specialty medical products to hospitals and physician practices across the country. MidCon offers the modern medical practice high-quality, revolutionary technology that aids in the early detection and treatment of disease. MidCon is the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Optomed Smartscope M3-1®, a digital dermatoscope with image capturing and archiving capabilities. For more information, visit http://www.midcondist.com.
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