CompuMed (Los Angeles), a developer of computer-aided telemedicine and diagnostics technology, reported a nationwide distribution agreement with Merry X-Ray (MXR; San Diego). MXR will market and distribute CompuMed's osteoporosis OsteoGram test system, which can be added to new and previously installed computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) equipment, making it capable of performing bone mineral density (BMD) screening.

Jerry McLaughlin, president and CEO of CompuMed, called the OsteoGram "ideally suited for Merry X-Ray's large customer base, which includes hospitals, imaging centers and orthopedic offices nationwide."

CompuMed's second-generation DICOM-based technology enables the use of a simple hand X-ray image that is analyzed by the automated OsteoGram software program to produce a BMD report. This report, CompuMed says, is "comparable to tests performed on far more costly BMD testing equipment, which requires dedicated rooms and specially trained staff."

"Combining OsteoGram software with new digital X-ray platforms will enable imaging professionals to consolidate their workflow and expand the services they can provide with already available equipment," McLaughlin added.

MXR, which bills itself as the largest independent dealer in the U.S., created its Digital Imaging Division in 1998 to respond to these current needs. MXR's electronic product portfolio ranges from basic teleradiology to enterprise-wide PACS.

It represents more than 8,000 products and has 34 branches nationwide. MXR CompuMed's core products are the OsteoGram osteoporosis testing system and CardioGram system, which remotely interprets electrocardiograms.