Standard Imaging has been dedicated to serving the Radiation Oncology community for more than three decades in the US market and has been expanding steadily internationally as well.
Today, international activities represent a substantial share of our activities, increasing by the day. With internationalization comes diversity and an array of challenges, which our International Account Management team has risen to meet. Being able to address our customers in their native language remains by far the most significant objective we have at Standard Imaging. It is a facilitator in business, obviously, but it is also a way to communicate more effectively, ensuring optimum usage of our solutions, as well as safe operation of the devices. During the course of this journey, we have worked diligently to add additional languages, including, but not limited to, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Hindi, French, Italian, and Romania, to the way we can respond to our customers, and this is making a big difference!
Another major challenge throughout the international markets is the diversity of scenarios we are facing when it comes to QA solutions. Consider acquiring and using QA tools the same in a country, where there is little or no reimbursement compared to others where Quality Assurance can just be considered a percentage of the operational costs. Again, we strive to adapt and work with our distributors and customers to remain aware of the local constraints that each customer and clinic we work with faces. Quality Assurance remains a universal language within the Radiation Therapy community, with the main difference being following AAPM or IAEA protocols. The exciting part, especially in countries on the rise, is that a new center is being built, and the choice that must be made about which QA is required and the most paramount to have at that particular time.
• Do I need a water phantom, or should I use an array with water-equivalent slabs?
• Should I acquire a 3D array, or do I trust EPID-type dosimetry with software?
• How will I perform In Vivo dosimetry?
• What ALARA devices are required for daily, monthly, and yearly QA?
In these situations, the exercise of listening, advising, and proposing solutions that are aligned with the expressed needs but are also sometimes disruptive and innovative is a very fulfilling yet challenging way our team works with customers to set clinics and their teams up for successful QA. Beyond the business aspect of supplying solutions, the representatives on the international team pride themselves in believing that we are helping treatment teams provide the highest possible quality treatments to their patients, no matter the challenges they face or where they are located.