The two-year authorization allows the device to connect to military health networks, with the same security software now available to civilian hospitals.
Turner Imaging Systems announced that its Smart-C, a cordless, battery-powered, 16-pound mini C-arm, has received a two-year Authority to Operate (ATO) from the US Defense Health Agency. The authorization permits military medical teams to deploy the point-of-care fluoroscopy device across Military Health System networks and route images into existing PACS and electronic health record workflows.
The ATO confirms that Smart-C meets Department of War cybersecurity requirements under the Risk Management Framework, following an assessment of the device’s security controls, configuration hardening, and vulnerability scanning.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has also recently approved Smart-C for use with VistA DICOM, and the device is already deployed at VA medical centers across the country.
“Warfighters need imaging that moves with them, and the government deserves trusted technology made in America,” says Mike Orthner, PhD, vice president of product at Turner Imaging Systems, in a release. “Smart-C’s ATO demonstrates its mission readiness. Gen2 will build on that foundation with secure, rugged whole-body imaging for military care—from stateside hospitals to the battlefield. We’re not simply supplying the military; we’re advancing the future of imaging alongside it.”
Hardened Software Comes to Civilian Hospitals
The security-hardened software developed to achieve the ATO will be made available to all Smart-C customers on request as Smart-C Secure. According to Turner Imaging Systems, civilian hospitals and health systems can deploy the same configuration that cleared the federal review, potentially shortening their own cybersecurity evaluations.
The release positions Smart-C Secure as a response to intensifying scrutiny of medical device cybersecurity by hospital IT teams during procurement.
“Hospital IT security teams are asking about device cybersecurity earlier in every purchase,” says Rob Scorcia, vice president of sales and marketing at Turner Imaging Systems, in a release. “With Smart-C Secure, any health system can now run the same software that passed a US government cybersecurity review. That puts Turner ahead of the curve and positions us to scale in both military and civilian markets.”
Next Steps for Point-of-Care Imaging
Turner plans to pursue the same authorization for its ENDURO DR portable digital X-ray system and says it will continue working with the US military to extend point-of-care imaging to clinicians treating service members and veterans.
SMART-C is marketed as the first cordless, battery-operated, hand-transportable mini C-arm for fluoroscopy, while ENDURO DR brings full-body digital radiography to the point of care. Turner’s systems are used in clinical, military, and humanitarian settings worldwide.
Photo caption: Smart-C in use during surgery
Photo credit: Turner Imaging Systems
