Equine

Hallmarq customers collaborate to increase accessibility of Standing Equine MRI in France

vetreportMay 18, 2021

Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging has installed a Standing Equine MRI (sMRI) system at Clinique Vétérinaire du Moulin in Truchtersheim, France. The new imaging system is located in an area which did not previously have a standing MRI, and now has eight units available to French equine vets. 

Due to travel  restrictions imposed by the current pandemic, an existing Hallmarq customer based in France provided training on how to use the equipment. Hallmarq trained SMRI operator Jean-Philippe Germain travelled to Truchtersheim in north-eastern France.  With a decade of experience in scanning horses using Hallmarq’s Standing MRI, Jean- Philippe was able to pass on his knowledge of how to use the imaging system to allow vets to benefit from it when working up lameness cases.

Jean-Philippe worked with Hallmarq’s remote support team to help them commission the machine and delivered four days of training in person at Clinique Vétérinaire du Moulin. Hallmarq’s team of Application Scientists were involved in ensuring the training went as expected,  through a virtual Q&A demonstrating a hybrid model of learning.

Jean-Philippe is a regular at Hallmarq’s Annual User Meeting, which is usually held in Chamonix, France, and was keen to be part of the collaboration in helping to train vets in how to use the standing MRI, commenting: “It has been a thrilling experience to share my knowledge of Standing MRI. This shared experience has been enlightening and I hope I have passed on a few tips acquired in these past years, as well as my interest in this powerful imaging modality.”

The process of setting up a Standing MRI at Clinique Vétérinaire du Moulin benefited the practice at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic could have prevented it from going ahead. 

 Clinique Vétérinaire du Moulin’s Dr Benoît Blachon commented on  how advantageous it was to the practice, given that using a Standing MRI had not previously been an option for horse owners in the area. 

“In an unprecedented health period, Hallmarq was able to find an innovative and effective solution to training. The collaboration between their Support Team and Jean-Philippe Germain enabled quality training and transmission from an already experienced and certified Standing Equine MRI user. The whole experience has been invaluable to the team here at Moulin,” said Dr. Blachon.

Hallmarq will provide the team at Moulin with ongoing account management to help them build a profitable caseload when using the Standing MRI. Q-Care, Hallmarq’s customer support programme, also includes ongoing operator training alongside on-site support which will also be provided to the team. Hallmarq practices have access to online education resources, which allow them the opportunity to engage in peer discussion and also work through case studies. 

Given the ongoing restrictions of the pandemic and the remaining uncertainty around travel, Hallmarq are considering utilising this new method of training more often.

Chief Customer Officer Annie Makin says: “The COVID pandemic has certainly presented some challenges to the team here at Hallmarq in terms of system and training delivery. I’m delighted that our ethos of global partnership and collaboration has come to the fore and delivered yet another innovative solution to making clinical excellence in lameness diagnosis accessible to even more vets, owners and horses in France.”

You can read more articles about Hallmarq here.

You can also read Vet Report’s interview with Hallmarq’s new Small Animal Medical Director here.