Sensible Solutions for Refurbished Radiology

We are back from another fantastic trip to Chicago for the ASC Becker’s Conference! It was a great two-day show from start to finish. With celebrities like Pat Riley and Sugar Ray Leonard giving speeches to kick things off, the energy just felt vibrant from the get-go. The Atlantis Worldwide President, Jeff Weiss, and the National Sales Manager, Alex Silbergleit, were there as exhibitors welcoming a record number of attendants at the booth.

There is a rising demand for interventional radiology procedures—and for good reason.  There’s a rise in minimally invasive procedures.  For example, we’re seeing a shift from open aortic surgery to minimally invasive procedures.  Plus, we’re also seeing an increase in endovascular cancer care.  Right now, image intensifiers are the mainstream technology, but the clock is definitely ticking.  It’s believed that flat panel detectors will soon become the standard for mobile C-Arms.

As we head into the final months of 2016, we thought it would be a good time to showcase each C-Arm manufacture and discuss our opinions on their C-Arms and where they are headed as a company.

As healthcare and diagnostics improve for human patients, so it does for members of the animal kingdom.  And perhaps one of the most important tools to improve treatment for dogs, cats, horses and other mammals are C-Arms. Before you think your practice can’t afford one, think again.  There are plenty of used and refurbished C-Arms on the market that can make a Mobile C-Arm a reality for your practice. Even if you have limited space, in all likelihood there’s a C-Arm that will work for you.

Its a digital (detector) world! In a few years the word analog will be ancient history. We are beginning to see digital detectors on just about every imaging system from Mammography to C-Arms to X-Ray. But it is with X-Ray where the Federal Government is starting to make the strongest push for change. With the passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016  the reimbursement rates for Analog X-Ray systems will start to decline starting in 2017. Which begs the question, what are YOU going to do? 

Do you want to hear a sad story we have heard way too many times?

Whether you buy a new or used C-Arm, the fact of the matter is that at one point or another your system will have an issue. As much as you want your C-Arm to work perfectly from the day you get it to the day you replace it, the reality is that a C-Arm is a machine and machines break. The severity of the issue will vary, but your response to getting it fixed should stay the same. 

There are so many options in the world today. Should you get Verizon, AT&T or Sprint cell phone service? Should you buy an iPhone or a Samsung cell phone? PC or Mac computer? You can spend hours reading up on all your options in life but when 
push comes to shove, any of these options will fulfill your needs. The same is the case for C-Arms. Is an OEC any better than a Philips or Siemens C-Arm? Or Ziehm for that matter? I'm sure there are people on both sides of the argument. So let’s look at the question 'what C-Arm should I buy?' from a different perspective...

Here at Atlantis Worldwide, we sell a lot of C-Arms. We sell so many that the sales cycle is second nature to us. We know what we need to do to make sure your C-Arm is ready for clinical use. Our customers, however, don't buy C-Arms nearly as often as we sell them. So it is completely understandable if you don't know exactly what you need to do in order to prepare your facility for your new C-Arm. 

Earlier this year I wrote a post discussing flat screen monitors for C-Arms, but would like to add some valuable information.