DULLES, VIRGINIA, 9 June 2012 – The reintroduction of 18F-NaF Sodium Fluoride (NaF) for PET/CT Bone Imaging has provided new opportunities for PET imaging programs, including making a positive impact on patient care and growth in appropriate use of this diagnostic modality. The re-launch of NaF has also presented challenges regarding education, interpretative quality and confidence, resulting in limited adoption in some areas. To ensure proper utilization of this critical imaging product IBA Molecular North America, Inc. (IBA Molecular) has created the NaF PET/CT Launch Program. This program is a wide-ranging, yet scalable package of training, education, outreach and administrative modules which can successfully prepare and support 18F-NaF PET/CT Bone imaging programs. This “best practices” framework is comprised of 6 modules taking you from design to implementation while also offering the tools to monitor and adjust your plan as it begins to deliver results.
Unique in the industry is NaF SureStart™, an important element of the overall program, which allows the successful launch and development of an NaF PET/CT service. The core of the program is a peer review system, enabled by PETLinQ’s secure, web-based interface. With the educational assistance of experienced PET interpreters, NaF SureStart enables sites to immediately begin an NaF PET program with the assurance of quality images and peer-reviewed interpretation from the first referred scans.
The IBA NaF PET/CT Launch Program continues with a range of onsite and online resources to help ensure the high quality of service a site must provide to its referring community. For physicians and technologists, this includes in-depth education on scan protocols as well as patient preparation and scan interpretation. Working with the IBA team, clients are able to employ the key resources needed to introduce, maintain and grow this segment of their PET business.
As NaF PET/CT Bone Imaging is used primarily to detect metastatic spread of cancer to the bone in patients with breast, lung and prostate cancer, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists would be logical referrers for this scan. For prostate cancer, urologists, who do not typically use PET, would be a key referring specialty. Efforts to reach these specialists and educate them on the potential impact of NaF PET/CT on clinical decision-making will need to be effective and targeted. IBA’s NaF PET/CT Launch program has assembled comprehensive educational resources to use with these specialists, including key scientific articles and impactful case studies, the NaF PET/CT Bone Imaging Referrer’s Guide, physician brochures and video presentations by noted physicians on the efficacy of PET imaging. IBA has also arranged regional roundtables, where specialists and PET interpreters can meet to discuss the role of PET for their patients, study challenges and difficult cases.
Imaging centers and end users participating in the NaF PET/CT Launch Program continue to show
heightened interest and support of this critical “toolbox” as they strive to achieve better quality service, improved operations and success in reaching a greater number of referring physicians regarding the appropriate use of this enhanced diagnostic tool. About IBA Molecular
IBA Molecular is a global developer, manufacturer and distributor of radiopharmaceutical products and supporting services used in molecular imaging. IBA Molecular has engineered a strong and unique product portfolio and pipeline of diagnostic and therapeutic tracers aimed at advancing the development of the global movement towards personalized medicine and making molecular imaging/therapy a major discipline in healthcare. The company also provides educational, technical and marketing support to medical specialists worldwide to help better respond to patient needs.
Please visit http://www.iba-molecular.com for more information about IBA Molecular.