Imaging service companies have a hard row to hoe staying aliveand profitable in a rapidly changing U.S. health care deliverysystem. But those center and mobile providers that are smart andquick enough to outlast the shakeout and build connections tothe

Radiology Management Systems (Radman) received Food and Drug Administration510(k) clearance this month to market its Radman Image ManagementSystem. The company will seek to build its teleradiology/picturearchiving and communications systems business on

Tomographic Technologies (TomTec) of Munich is building a stableof OEM and development partnerships to expand the market reachof its Echo CT cine three-dimensional ultrasound image processingsystem. As part of this effort, the firm is developing

A federal judge last month dismissed a patent lawsuit filed againstAdvanced Magnetics (AMI) by a former member of the company's scientificadvisory board. The suit involved patents for six of AMI's MRIcontrast agents. Dr. David D. Stark filed suit last

A new player with a familiar face is making waves in the not-yet-emergedultrasound contrast market. Salutar founder and Omniscan inventorDr. Stephen C. Quay formed Sonus Pharmaceuticals in 1991 withthe intention of duplicating his MRI contrast success in

Imaging center chains must control what they pay for center acquisitionsif they hope to compete in a managed-care-driven U.S. health-caresystem. Many center partnerships continue to request prices thatare too high, considering how cost-driven the imaging

The joint marketing and development effort between Siemens andultrafast CT developer Imatron has yet to translate into successfor the South San Francisco, CA-based company. Imatron last monthposted disappointing financial results for 1992 and

Demand for MRI services has softened with the uncertainty overimminent changes in the U.S. health-care system. A question forproviders is whether this slowdown in growth of MRI proceduresis a temporary blip on a steady upward-trend line or a preludeto

Shimadzu Medical Systems last month began selling a radiography/fluoroscopysystem tailored to exploit growth in the U.S. x-ray replacementmarket. The R/F system, YSF-220, was designed to double patientthroughput, enabling hospitals to replace older

Siemens initiated a restructuring of its U.S. medical operationslast week that will eventually centralize all corporate unitsunder Siemens Medical Systems in Iselin, NJ. The German vendorpreviously had U.S.-based medical businesses with worldwide

General Electric maintains that it sold its Aerospace Divisionto Martin Marietta because of negative business trends in thedefense industry. But Infact, a self-styled corporate accountabilitygroup, declared victory last week at the closing of the

Medical film digitizer suppliers Lumisys and Vision Ten brokeoff their merger discussions last month. One problem with theunion was apparently Vision Ten's involvement in litigation, theliabilities of which could have carried over to an expanded Lumisys.

The growing trend toward ultrasound networking promises hospitalsimproved flexibility and efficiency. But unless connectivity problemsare resolved, having equipment from different ultrasound vendorstalk to each other will be like building a Tower of

ATL this month began shipping ultrasound scanners armed with AspectElectronics cameras, following a sole-source supplier agreementinked between the companies. The deal is a vindication for Aspect,which has carved out a medical imaging niche for its

Good timing isn't everything in capital equipment purchasing,but it helps. Two hospitals owned by Johns Hopkins Universityrealized significant savings by bundling a large imaging equipmentpurchase and sourcing it to a single vendor. More purchasers are

Health-care cost containment has dampened demand for expensive,high-end imaging equipment and forced multimodality vendors tocut costs and refocus product strategies. Slackening demand forbig-ticket scanners cut annual revenue growth at industry leaderGE

Leadership in MRI market share around the globe is neatly divided,with General Electric holding sway in the U.S., Siemens in Europeand Toshiba in Japan. But GE is looking to upset that balancewith a new 1.5-tesla platform to be marketed exclusively in

Toshiba America Medical Systems has increased staff in its ultrasounddivision and rearranged the organization's structure to providea clearer focus on specific market requirements. The vendor alsohas launched an effort to build clinical alliances and

Total PACS remains stuck in the future despite technological promiseand ongoing advances in digital medical image standards. Untilthe future arrives, vendors have tuned their marketing strategiesto focus on smaller picture archiving and communication

Diasonics plans to separate its worldwide ultrasound businessfrom profitable OEC-Diasonics later this year, establishing ultrasoundas an independent company in an increasingly hard-fought market.The move will allow shareholders to realize the full value