Sensible Solutions for Refurbished Radiology

Well, the computed radiology legislation took effect last year, forcing most diagnostic clinics, facilities and department to phase out old CR equipment and replace them with digital solutions. There’s nothing quite like a reduction in Medicare reimbursement to get things moving, right? 

Back in the day, physicians had the purchasing power at the hospitals in which they worked.  Medical device sales reps would call on doctors, who would make a decisions and 3-4 weeks later, the medical device would be delivered.

There are many reason you might be considering relocating medical imaging equipment.  Maybe you bought a new piece of equipment, and it’s now earmarked for one of your other healthcare facilities.  Maybe you’re finally moving to that new facility and you have to move current equipment to your new digs.  Or maybe you just purchased a preowned system from a vendor or healthcare facility.  No matter one the reason, there are lots of things to consider before you make the move.  Way before you make the move.

There are all kinds of cyber crimes, including stock manipulation schemes, intellectual property theft, telecommunications
scam, financial fraud scheme and pharmaceutical fraud.  But there are a growing number of cyber attacks on the healthcare industry. Case in point, last August Banner Health reported a data breach affecting 3.7 million patients and staff at 23 hospitals and specialized facilities. 

Was 2016 a good year for you? I guess it depends on what you compare it to. 

We’ve come a long way, baby, especially when it comes to medical imaging.  But before we get to the latest and greatest in MRIs and CT Scans, let’s time travel, shall we?

It’s no secret that helium is essential to the process of MRI imaging.  Helium becomes a liquid at very low temperatures, and facilitates the superconductivity that MRI imaging depends upon.  In 2015, the amount of helium consumed from health care applications exceeded two billion cubic feet.  A new report from Technavio forecasts grow of helium health care consumption at a compound annual growth of 7 percent through 2020. 

Finally, there’s a CT Scanner that performs scans on pediatric patients without the need for sedation!  What a relief for parents, children, physicians and technicians, alike.  Siemens has launched the new SOMATOM Dual Source CT Scanner and it’s been approved by the FDA. 

Are changes coming that will affect the sale and service of medical equipment and medical imaging equipment like MRI and CT scanners? Unfortunately there is no clear answer right now. What is known is that this October the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public workshop focused on the ““Refurbishing, Reconditioning, Rebuilding, Remarketing, Remanufacturing, and Servicing of Medical Devices Performed by Third-Party Entities and Original Equipment Manufacturers.”

By combining two distinct imaging systems, PET-CT has become one of the most effective imaging procedures available today. PET-CT is an advanced nuclear imaging technique that combines molecular imaging known as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computer Tomography (CT) into one highly sophisticated process.