Facility Management

Mobile PET provider Mobile PET Systems of San Diego has signed a five-year contract with Torrance Memorial Medical Center, a 380-bed facility based in Torrance, CA. The contract includes mobile services, trained technologists, and clinical support.The

A study published by SMG Marketing Group of Chicago shows that the number of U.S. imaging centers profiled by the company increased in the first three quarters of 1999 by 5% compared to the year before, climbing from 2661 to 2801. The imaging center

Manufacturers of magnetic source imaging (MSI) devices have long struggled to find a niche for their technology in a healthcare environment focused on cost-cutting measures. In a move it hopes will strengthen its position in a small, startup market,

As expected, ultrasound contrast developer Sonus Pharmaceuticals has reorganized its marketing relationship with Abbott Laboratories International Division (SCAN 10/13/99). The two firms agreed in 1996 that Abbott would have exclusive rights to

EndoSonics received good news last month when the American Medical Association released CPT codes that will enable physicians to be reimbursed for the diagnostic use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). The codes go into effect Jan. 1, 2000. Prior to the

CTI PET Systems (CPS), the joint venture between CTI and Siemens Nuclear Medicine Group, has expanded its partnership with Mobile PET Systems. The two companies announced last month the launch of a mobile PET operation that will serve European hospitals.

With hospitals demanding service packages that go beyond maintenance and system repair, imaging service providers are being challenged to offer their clients more comprehensive contracts, according to a new report by market research firm Frost &

Hologic is suing Fleet Business Credit Corp. (formerly Sanwa Business Credit Corp.) over a contract dispute involving Hologic’s bone densitometers. Through its now-discontinued “strategic alliance program,” Bedford, MA-based Hologic sold

Firm also plans for new ownership, recapitalizationImaging services provider Alliance Imaging is diversifying its portfolio. The Anaheim, CA-based company has purchased Acclaim Medical, a Southern California-based mobile PET services provider.

MDT makes bid for Web-based PACS firmAcquisition of TIMS would mark entry into digital image managementMR imaging center operator Medical Device Technologies has taken a preliminary step toward entering the PACS market. The San

Questar acquisition will build APP’s stable to 134 centersThe imaging center industry has a new powerhouse. Radiology services firm American Physician Partners has announced an agreement to acquire imaging center operator Questar Imaging.

Imaging center chain Medical Resources has signed an agreement with RGC International Investors that gives Medical Resources the right to purchase part or all of its preferred stock owned by RGC through Sept. 30. Prior to the agreement, the Hackensack,

Prospects strongest in PET, therapy planning, and HISNuclear medicine vendor ADAC Laboratories is enduring a tough period of business right now, particularly in its relationship with investors and the financial markets. The company no longer

Company plans to begin selling Virgo this yearThe industry’s newest vendor of MRI scanners will have instant name recognition when its open scanner is released into the U.S., possibly later this year. The fledgling company is already a player

Hybrid systems, expanded reimbursement take center stage at SNM meetingFor vendors at this year’s Society of Nuclear Medicine show in Los Angeles, the industry’s hard times of the mid-1990s were only a memory. While the meeting suffered

Acclaim Medical set to begin PET service in AugustYet another mobile PET operator will soon be traversing the freeways of southern California. The new arrival is Acclaim Medical, a start-up company founded by a former Alliance Imaging executive to

Many sites could lose reimbursement for MRI scansThe Y2K problem could have special meaning for MRI operators in the U.S., unless efforts by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) succeed. The Rosslyn, VA, industry association is

Firms call off bid due to “business opportunities” at InSight A group of shareholders has called off its plan to take imaging services firm InSight Health Services private, the company announced on June 2. The group said it was

Spanish hospital sees PACS as key to efficient operationNew institution serves 230,000 via capitated payment modelHealthcare institutions around the world are facing a strategic imperative to operate more efficiently. In this economic

Agency hopes publication will clarify proceduresDrug and device manufacturers got a glimpse into the internal workings of the Health Care Financing Administration last month when the agency for the first time outlined how it decides to grant

Nuclear medicine developer ADAC Laboratories of Milpitas, CA, will introduce a new version of its dedicated cardiac gamma camera at next month’s Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Los Angeles. ADAC has taken the basic design of its Cardio

PACS market records solid gains but Y2K may hamper growth rateVendors target integration, work-flow improvmentsBy most accounts, the PACS market is maturing. The benefits of the technology are well known, and medium and large healthcare

Abbott and Sonus make plans for market launchThe light at the end of a long regulatory tunnel has finally appeared for Sonus Pharmaceuticals. The Bothell, WA, company on April 19 received an approvable letter from the Food and Drug Administration

Company posts big loss for 1998Bigger isn't necessarily better in the beleaguered imaging services market. Although the market is now much less fragmented than it was three years ago, imaging center firms are still having a tough time making

Pressures on cost-containment may overshadow glow from unificationEurope has been in the headlines lately because of encouraging moves toward monetary and political union. These may represent the first steps toward the creation of a single huge

Company nears market with Definity contrast agentDu Pont Pharmaceuticals is moving into new territory with the imminent commercialization of its first ultrasound contrast agent, Definity. But the North Billerica, MA, company should not be treated

After months of intense lobbying efforts, PET advocates received good news this month when the Health Care Financing Administration agreed to expand its reimbursement coverage for PET applications. According to ADAC Laboratories of Milpitas, CA, HCFA

LifeTest deal falls through due to financing woesUltrafast CT developer Imatron shifted its corporate strategy last month when it agreed to sell its South San Francisco HeartScan coronary artery disease risk-assessment center to Imaging Technology

In a move that effectively ends U.S. Diagnostic’s activities in Texas, the imaging center chain divested its facilities in the state last month in two transactions valued at more than $23 million. USDL sought to divest the Texas centers because of

Carriers struggle to implement coverage documentPET imaging advocates rejoiced last year when the Health Care Financing Administration agreed to reimburse Medicare providers for lung cancer indications. The announcement sparked renewed interest in