Eastman Kodak Company will be the sole supplier of dental x-ray intraoral and extraoral film for Heartland Dental Care, a group practice with over 125 offices in seven Midwestern states and Florida.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Heartland will exclusively use KODAK dental radiography film. In addition, Kodak will provide Heartland with conversion assistance, technical service, marketing support and other value-added services.
Rick Workman, DMD, president and CEO of Heartland, says the group had used another brand of film for about a year, but it wasn't working out. "When we first evaluated the other film, it looked like the quality was comparable," he said.
But over time, problems arose.
"Our dentists became concerned that the image quality wasn't consistent. They were getting radiographs that they couldn't read properly. That's not acceptable."
Forming a purchase agreement with Kodak therefore provided Heartland with an ideal solution.
"Kodak was able to provide us with high-quality products at a competitive price," Dr. Workman says. "Their technical support to help us through the conversion was also very helpful."
"The strength of Heartland Dental is reflective of the exciting changes the dental industry is experiencing today," said Ruth Arbuckle, general manager, United States and Canada, Kodak's dental systems. "Kodak is pleased to be a part of Heartland's continued drive toward dental excellence."
Arbuckle noted that Heartland was ranked among the fastest growing companies in the prestigious Inc. 500 list for 2003, and that Dr. Workman was named as the 2003 Illinois Master Entrepreneur Of The Year.
About Kodak's Dental Systems Group
Kodak's Dental Systems Group is a leading participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry created by the convergence of image-and-information technology.
The business, which includes wholly-owned subsidiaries PracticeWorks, Inc. and Trophy Radiologie, S.A., develops, manufactures and markets dental imaging and practice management systems for dental practitioners, including practice management software, intraoral and extraoral dental imaging films, processing chemistry and x-ray equipment; direct-digital dental x-ray technology; digital cameras and accessories for dental applications; photographic-quality paper for printing digital images; COOK-WAITE brand local anesthetics; and a variety of related products and services.
Infoimaging unites three closely related imaging markets that enable people to more easily take and share images as information: devices, such as digital cameras and x-ray systems; infrastructure, such as practice management software; and services and media, such as photographic-quality inkjet paper and electronic insurance claims submission.
For more information about Kodak's digital radiography products and practice management solutions, call 1-800-944-6365, visit Kodak's Health Imaging Dental Systems Group website at http://www.kodak.com/go/dental or contact your regional KODAK products representative.
