Naperville, Ill. – October 27, 2010 – Grundig Business Systems (GBS), a provider of professional dictation systems, has implemented more than 70 new dictation microphones at the Austin Radiological Association (ARA). ARA has been a leader in imaging services in Austin and Central Texas, providing CT (CAT Scans), MRI, Digital Mammography (mammograms), X-ray, ultrasound (sonography), PET/CT, SPECT/CT, nuclear imaging and bone densitometry since 1954.

According to Dr. Michael Gunlock, a radiologist with ARA and project leader, “We are very pleased with the performance of the Digta SonicMic II microphones. Our radiologists prefer their use over our previous hardware, and the improved sound quality of the recordings has increased overall efficiency.” The Digta SonicMic II´s mouse control works independently of the regular PC mouse. This feature allows for individual adjustment of the Digta SonicMic II’s cursor speed, while the PC mouse remains the same. The user has full control of the running PC application via trackpoint mouse control and mouse buttons. “The multiple sensitivity settings have given the radiologist several ways to experiment with more ergonomic postures for holding the device,” says GBS Managing Director Roland Hollstein. In addition, the Digta SonicMic II´s non-slip soft composite surface and extra wide slide switch make dictation as comfortable as possible.

Project started with software rollout
The project started in 2009 when Mr. Gunlock worked with ARA’s development team to release ARARecorder, the client interface for putting dictations into the Unified Dictation System (UDS). At the beginning some limitations hindered the usage of ARARecorder: It was not compatible with ARA´s third-party voice recognition software Commissure Radwhere. Because Commissure used a competitive software development kit (SDK) to record audio and control features on the deployed microphones, it was impossible to use ARARecorder and Commissure at the same time. Therefore, ARA was looking for a way to make ARARecorder compatible with other recording devices.

First, an audio library written in .NET native code called Alvas Audio.NET was acquired. This allowed ARARecorder to record, playback, and format audio without the competitive SDK. The functionality was wrapped in an abstraction layer called UdsAudio, and it allowed for any audio library to be easily integrated with ARARecorder, without the software having to know the details about how the audio library worked.

Secondly, a framework was developed for adding support to ARARecorder for other recording devices by abstracting the hardware integration layer in the UdsAudio assembly. “The GBS Digta Hardware Development Kit (HDK) made adding support for the Digta SonicMic II microphone simple,” Gunlock says. The GBS device control DLL was added to the source code and referenced; then all UdsAudio button events were correlated with the Digta SonicMic II built-in events on the microphone.

Once these steps were accomplished, ARARecorder was given new life using the GBS Digta SonicMic II microphone. “Overall, incorporating the Digta SonicMic II microphone was a simple and direct way to make ARARecorder a more agile and universal software package,” says Dr. Gunlock.

About Austin Radiological Association
Since 1954, Austin Radiological Association (ARA) has been a leader in imaging services in Austin and Central Texas, providing CT (CAT Scans), MRI, Digital Mammography (mammograms), X-ray, Ultrasound (Sonography), PET/CT, SPECT/CT, Nuclear Imaging and Bone Densitometry. The team of more than 85 radiologists includes physicians with subspecialty training in body/cross-sectional imaging, diagnostic and neurointerventional surgery, interventional radiology, mammography and women’s imaging, musculoskeletal radiology, neuroradiology, nuclear imaging and pediatric radiology. For more than 50 years, ARA has committed itself to innovation and invests in the latest technology to provide the highest quality of care to patients and referring physicians. Today ARA is one of the largest providers of outpatient imaging services in Central Texas. Find out more about ARA on the internet: www.ausrad.com

About Grundig Business Systems GmbH
With more than four million dictation systems sold and over 50 years of experience, Grundig Business Systems GmbH (GBS) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional dictation systems. It is the only company in the professional dictation industry to develop and produce its cutting-edge products “Made in Germany”. GBS products are distinguished by technical innovation, quality, and top-notch design. Whether for doing mobile dictation on the go, with a microphone at the PC, or for making conference recordings, dictation solutions from GBS are on the scene every day, helping attorneys, physicians, companies, and many others to get their work done efficiently and cost-effectively. The independent company, formerly attached to the parent company Grundig, was named one of the top 100 most innovative medium-sized companies. In addition to numerous awards for distinguished product design, GBS received the “IT Innovation Prize 2009” for the world’s first wireless dictation microphone for professional use, the Digta CordEx. GBS´ North American Headquarters are in Naperville, IL. Find out more about GBS on the internet: www.grundig-gbs.com

For more information please contact:
Grundig Business Systems
Chris Hanley, Grundig Business Systems – North American Sales Manager
Phone: 312-924-2878
Email: christopher.hanley@grundig-gbs.com
www.grundig-gbs.com