“For a long-term care resident at Kensington Health, an x-ray that might seem routine can mean an ambulance ride, hours in an unfamiliar hospital and significant disruption to their care, particularly for someone living with dementia,” said Adil Khalfan, President and CEO at Kensington Health.
That challenge led Kensington Health in Toronto to explore a different model: bringing diagnostic imaging directly to residents.
In 2024, Kensington Health launched a mobile X-ray pilot in collaboration with KA Imaging. Focused on residents with restricted mobility and dementia, the program aimed to support treatment at the point of care, reduce the disruption of hospital transfers and give care teams faster access to imaging.
Its initial objective was to avoid 20 resident transfers to the emergency department for imaging and treatment of pneumonia and other common conditions. By the end of 2025, Kensington Health reported twice that number.
173 X-rays, 40 emergency transfers avoided
Kensington Health performed 173 chest, abdominal and extremity X-rays across its long-term care and hospice environments. According to the organization, 40 emergency transfers were avoided.
Kensington Health also reported that time to treatment was reduced from days to hours, with point-of-care X-ray enabling faster diagnosis and confirmation of clearance.
“We explored this technology because we knew there had to be a better way,” Khalfan said. “By bringing x-ray services directly to residents, in their rooms, we can provide the care they need in a familiar environment, avoid unnecessary hospital visits and keep our teams focused on caring for residents rather than coordinating transfers.”
Advanced imaging, brought to the resident
The program used KA Imaging’s Reveal™ 35C detector, powered by SpectralDR® technology. The portable spectral X-ray detector captures spectral information from a single standard X-ray exposure, generating conventional, bone-selective and soft-tissue images.
Kensington Health reported that the advanced capabilities and versatility of Reveal 35C provided excellent diagnostic-quality imaging for traditionally challenging patients in its long-term-care setting.
“We’re grateful to KA Imaging for developing technology that helps make this kind of care possible,” Khalfan said. “It’s better for residents, better for our teams and helps preserve hospital capacity for those who need it most.”
Kensington Health is now exploring opportunities to expand the program across its campus.
For residents for whom a trip to X-ray can mean an ambulance, an emergency department and hours away from familiar surroundings, the Kensington Health experience points to another model: instead of taking the resident to the X-ray, bring the X-ray to the resident.
*Results reflect Kensington Health’s experience with its long-term care and hospice mobile X-ray program and may not be representative of outcomes at other institutions.