Sensible Solutions for Refurbished Radiology

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?

So it’s time to purchase a Digital Rad Room for your practice, hospital or clinic.  And you’re looking at a used or refurbished solution.  Good for you!  But before you whip out that checkbook, there are a few important considerations and questions to ask.  After all, you want to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want and need.

We’ve all heard the nightmare stories on the news.  A patient goes into surgery to have his or her left knee replacement surgery and instead, the right knee gets replaced.  Or a patient has a punctured left lung, but the surgeon mistakenly inserted a chest tube on the right side instead.  So how does this happen?

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. 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI is the preferred procedure for diagnosing a wide variety of problems or conditions within the human body. Physicians can use the MRI to examine a large number of body parts including the brain, spine, joints, blood vessels, and other organs like the heart and lungs. The result of the MR scan is a very detailed image of organs and tissues throughout the body without the need for x-rays or “ionizing” radiation. To create these detailed images, the MRI uses a powerful magnetic field to align the protons that are present in most of the body’s tissues. Once applied, radio waves then cause these atomic particles to produce a signal that can be received by the MRI scanner. The computer inside the MRI collects the signal data from the rapidly changing magnetic field and assembles detailed images of the tissue that can be viewed from many different angles.

Are you getting ready to renovate or upgrade your digital imaging services, but still need to provide services in the interim?  Or maybe you need to provide new digital imaging services but have run out of space in your current facility?  Perhaps you’d like to expand your digital imaging services but you just don’t have ready capital to do so.  Here’s the good news: mobile or modular MRIs could be the perfect solution for you!

Inside every CT system is an X-ray tube. How long that tube will last depends on many factors. With careful, calculated use from an x-ray technologist or radiologic technologist, the average X-ray tube should provide many years of service. There are however many factors that can shorten the life of an X-ray tube substantially and those factors can typically be controlled by the X-ray tech. So, what can you do to extend and maximize the life of your X-ray tube?

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

Handheld devices like smartphones and tablets are almost commonplace in examination rooms worldwide. But are they being used for applications they shouldn’t be?