Facility Management

Sales of medical imaging systems in Europe will finish the yeareither flat or down slightly from 1992 on account of general economicsluggishness and the desire of government authorities to restraingrowing health-care budgets. Signs are, however, that the

Consolidation continues to elude the U.S. imaging center industry.Merger discussions between NMR of America and Medical Resourcesfell through last week. The two center firms had signed a letterof intent to merge earlier in October (SCAN 10/6/93).

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of MRI contrastagent Magnevist for whole-body applications, making the productthe first agent to be cleared for use outside the central nervoussystem. The FDA's action will improve Magnevist's

U.S. bone densitometry firm Lunar established a German subsidiaryin July to boost sales and improve service in the vendor's largestEuropean national market. While densitometry reimbursement hasdropped dramatically in Germany over the last several years,

Do you hear the sound of the other shoe dropping? Consolidationin the imaging center industry has long been anticipated. Theprocess may be on a roll now following passage of the federalMedicare/Medicaid ban on referring-physician ownership of

Sluggish sales of its flagship monoclonal antibody nuclear imagingagent have prompted Cytogen to restructure operations with anemphasis on development of peptide-based agents. While the Princeton,NJ, company will continue to aggressively market its

Any vendor--particularly a small one--hoping to break into theMRI market during these depressed times needs to find a more cost-effectiveMR mousetrap and a secure niche in which to sell it. Bone densitometrysupplier Lunar will use a North American MRI

When President Clinton unveiled his plan for reforming the nation'shealth-care system last month, he put an end to almost a yearof anticipation. For medical imaging companies, however, the formalrelease of Clinton's American Health Security Act of 1993

Picker International expanded its CT therapy simulation agreementwith Varian Associates last week to focus the joint marketingeffort worldwide, according to Christopher J. Peabody, Pickersenior vice president of international operations. This

Fischer Imaging is on the verge of being certified to the ISO9000 standard, a quality standard that began in Europe but israpidly gaining worldwide recognition as an indicator of quality. The Denver-based company passed inspection by a European

Health-care angst and stalled purchasing don't make the best conditionsfor starting a medical imaging business. Depending on your focus,however, times could be worse. As hospitals keep their imagingsystems running longer, they need help in the areas of

Recent developments in the Florida imaging center market couldprovide a blueprint for imaging companies seeking ways to prosperin the face of managed care. While Florida imaging services providersare taking different tacks, all are trying to profit from

A technological jump-start from its parent company has aided Lorad'squest to develop a digital mammography system capable of full-viewbreast imaging. Lorad plans to show images from a prototype systemat this year's Radiological Society of North America

Self-referring physicians surrendered to the inevitable this monthafter Congress passed legislation outlawing self-referral forimaging services within the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Thelegislation is sure to throw the imaging center industry

Medicare administrators are considering a cut in reimbursementfor multiple echocardiography modes performed in a single session.The proposal, which has encountered opposition from two cardiologyspecialty societies, could be a first step in reducing

Cheaper MRI isn't the only answer to growing health-care costpressures. While there is little doubt that MR system prices willstay level or drop as reimbursement is trimmed in the U.S., equipmentdemand may be strengthened by redefining the modality or

The world of medical imaging is changing fast. Competition amongimaging system vendors is hot. Price pressures are high and mounting.To stay viable, scanner suppliers must learn to react faster andoperate more efficiently. They must pick technical

Is there life for MRI after health-care reform? A recent studyof MRI diffusion in Japan suggests that the answer is yes--butat a price. MRI has frequently played the role of villain in the ongoingdrama of rising health-care costs in the U.S. The

Tough times in the imaging center industry demand innovative solutions.While managed care has been portrayed as imaging's b¬etenoire, it presents an opportunity to increase patient referralsfor those willing to adapt, according to Swapan Sen, vice

GE Medical Systems further segmented its MRI product line thisspring with overseas introduction of the 1-tesla Signa Advantage1T system. The unit offers most 1.5-tesla Signa features but ata reduced price. GE's product strategy acknowledges growing

Prospects of radical health-care reform are leading radiologyequipment purchasers to place greater emphasis on cost-effective,reimbursable equipment and procedures. Vendors must cater to health-careproviders who are looking more than ever to make their

A mass exodus of physician investors from the U.S. imaging centerindustry has yet to materialize, despite the impending one-twopunch of health-care reform and self-referral restrictions. Marketsoftness in imaging services has put a damper on center

Impending national health-care reform has led to a dramatic slowdownin the U.S. modular imaging facility market. With no recoveryexpected for 18 to 24 months, transportable facility vendor Enertechis looking abroad to make up for lost domestic business,

Two and a half years after purchasing Teknar, Santa Barbara, CA-basedMentor is bringing that firm's ultrasound product line fully intothe fold. Mentor is reorganizing operations, placing the Teknarscanners in the hands of its existing urology sales and

Pretty pictures do not necessarily make a better diagnosis, butthey can attract referral business in MRI. Image Enhancement Systems,a company that branched out of an MRI center operating Toshiba's0.064-tesla Access MRI system, has developed a hardware

Elscint adds another card to its imaging hand with the formationthis month of a marketing and distribution agreement with positronemission tomography manufacturer Positron. The relationship givesElscint access to a PET camera without having to invest in

You wouldn't know by glancing at DVI Health Services' third-quarterfinancial report that business is booming for the scanner lessorand imaging center holding company. DVI's revenue dropped from$8.4 million during the 1992 third quarter (end-March) to $5

While declining reimbursement in the U.S. has hit the shared MRIservice business hardest, shared service firms focusing on lowercost modalities are also susceptible to procedure price pressure.Consolidation may hit these industries as service economics

A recent court decision has given the nuclear medicine communitya forum in which to challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission'scontroversial license fees for handling radioisotopes. Nuclearmedicine practitioners charge that NRC fees have skyrocketed

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