Reducing Health Care CostBy reducing the number of biopsies performed, Balters's non-invasive device will decrase spendings in the health care system. Balter's diagnostic imaging technology assists physicians in characterizing lesions of the skin and tissue mucosa. This platform technology will also facilitate non-medical applications in beauty care (skin condition and response to cosmetic therapy) and forensic medicine. The first commercial device has been optimized for skin diagnostics, and has been shown to be useful in characterizing a wide variety of skin lesions; specifically, we have demonstrated an ability to differentiate malignant melanoma from benign pigmented nevi with high sensitivity and specificity. Both dermatologists and primary care physicians show a considerable level of interest in the Balter scanner.
Skin Cancer Focus In the last fifty years, skin cancer has increased six-fold with more than 60,000 new melanomas diagnosed each year in the It has been estimated that in the U.S. the annual cost of unnecessary biopsies (for melanoma) approaches $1 billion; the use of Balter non-invasive diagnostic technology could not only reduce that figure considerably, but also facilitate earlier detection and improved patient outcomes. |
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