Sales of a new portable CT scanner helped Analogic post recordrevenues and earnings for its fourth quarter and fiscal 1996 (end-July).Analogic also saw gains in other areas of its medical technologybusiness, according to officials with the Peabody, MA,
Vendor reports that Logiq 700 MR sales are boomingGE Medical Systems this week announced that it has adapted theLogiq 700 Maximum Resolution upgrade unveiled earlier this yearto scanners in lower price points. GE officials say similar
Swissray's conventional x-ray program got a boost last month whenthe Hitzkirch, Switzerland, company expanded its OEM relationshipwith Philips Medical Systems (SCAN 7/17/96). Swissray will manufacturecomponents for Philips conventional x-ray systems on
Ron Edgerton has stepped down from his position as general managerof Kodak's Medical Imaging Systems group, the Dallas businessunit that handles the company's efforts in PACS and digital imaging.Edgerton has been replaced by Richard Cimino, who
Relationship expands on successful collaboration in SwedenPhilips Medical Systems has retooled its PACS strategy in hopesof bringing a filmless-hospital product line to market more quicklythan if it completed development of its own in-house
Diasonics, Toshiba execs rebuff talk of mergerWith major imaging equipment vendors becoming fewer in number and bigger in size, speculation on what shoe will drop next has become a favoritetopic for party talk. For reasons cited below, much of the
Agfa-Gevaert's ongoing effort to improve its profitability tookanother turn last month. The film and PACS vendor announced thatit plans to cut 550 jobs in Europe, primarily through the consolidationof its headquarters staff, which is split between
Varian Associates of Palo Alto, CA, has sold the most powerfulwhole-body MRI scanner ever to be acquired by a Japanese laboratory. A Varian 4-tesla scanner will be installed this month at theInstitute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) in Wako
Agency asks for public comment on concernsIf the Internet can be compared to the Wild West, then the Foodand Drug Administration might be seen as the new marshal in town.The federal agency, long known for its no-nonsense approach todrug and
Questar buys 10 Siemens Magnetom Open scannersAs the imaging services industry consolidates, smaller centercompanies are beginning to look like little fish swimming in anocean of imaging center mega-chains. The conventional wisdom dictatesthat
Acquisition would be third sale of PACS unitExecutives from GE Medical Systems and Lockheed Martin WesternDevelopment Laboratories Medical Imaging Systems aren't talkingabout a rumor that surfaced last week hinting that GE is planningto buy the
IBM's debut of MedSpeak puts pressure on smaller firmsOne of radiology's last bottlenecks is transcription. Radiologydepartments can spend anywhere from several hours to several daysrouting an exam interpretation from a radiologist to a
Film and PACS vendor Agfa of Ridgefield Park, NJ, has formed aconsulting business with Deloitte & Touche Consulting Groupto offer advice to radiology departments on improving their businessprocesses. Called the Healthcare Consulting Alliance, the
Ultrasound vendor Hewlett-Packard apparently has a new scannerwaiting in the wings. The Andover, MA, company gained Food andDrug Administration 510(k) clearance in August for a new diagnosticultrasound system. HP officials are not ready to make a
The race to develop a digital x-ray detector is getting curiouserand curiouser. A consortium of European companies, including Siemens,Philips, and Thomson, have formed a joint venture to develop aflat-panel digital x-ray detector for medical imaging
ISG Technologies postponed the release of its year-end financialresults this month, citing a lawsuit filed against the Mississauga,Ontario, PACS developer by its former president and CEO ThomasCafarella. ISG said it needs time to determine whether it
GE Medical Systems last month increased its growing investmentin the equipment maintenance sector by agreeing to acquire twocompanies that market service-related products. GE bought theU.S. healthcare insurance business of Specialty Underwriters ofOak
Cost pressures push vendors into relationshipThe German pioneer of spiral CT scanning and the Israeli developerof innovative dual-slice CT systems have agreed in principle tocooperate on the future development of CT technology. The twocompanies,
InSight to form separate open MRI subsidiaryWhat's in a name? Ask that question of InSight Health Services.The Newport Beach, CA, imaging services provider believes it'sgetting more than just an imaging center with its proposed acquisitionof
Company retools business plan after healthcare reformLinear accelerator developer PracSys is planning to develop anetwork of PET imaging centers using linear accelerators ratherthan cyclotrons to produce fluorodeoxyglucose. The company hasalso
PACS software developer Cemax-Icon is laying plans to launch itslong-awaited initial public offering as soon as the IPO marketregains its footing. Executives with the Fremont, CA, companysay they should be able to launch the offering within five daysof
Star also settles patent infringement suitGE Medical Systems this month paid Star Technologies $9.4 millionto settle a breach-of-contract case related to CT reconstructionprocessors Star supplied to GE for four years (SCAN 5/8/96 and3/27/96).
Allegations claim GE restricts competition in MontanaThe Justice Department filed suit this month against GE MedicalSystems, alleging that its licensing policies limiting accessto maintenance software for its CT and MRI products violate
Medical imaging executive Thomas Cafarella has filed a lawsuitagainst PACS software developer ISG Technologies, charging thecompany with breach of contract after it fired him as presidentand CEO earlier this month. Cafarella has the support of a groupof
Donald Southard has left his position as vice president of salesand marketing at Elscint's U.S. subsidiary in Hackensack, NJ,for a position at cardiac monitoring firm Datascope. Southard'sdeparture was amicable, according to Dr. Thomas Spackman,
Japanese multimodality vendor Toshiba has named a new presidentof its Toshiba America Medical Systems subsidiary in Tustin, CA.Masamichi Katsurada replaces Kunio Sumikawa, who returns to Toshiba'sTokyo headquarters to lead the medical systems division's
Hitachi connection helps used MRI effortThe one-time Technicare executives who went on to popularize HitachiMRI scanners and Sopha gamma cameras are expanding into the usedequipment market. In the past year, Sitco, a company owned by Summit
Scanner capable of simultaneous operationsA big boost in computer processing power is the heart of a newCT scanner developed by Picker International. The new system,PQ 6000, stands at the top of the Cleveland vendor's CT productline and includes
Positron must raise $25 million to complete purchaseWearied by a moribund market registering worldwide sales of only$40 million a year, GE Medical Systems announced this month thatit intends to sell its manufacturing and product development
GE MedicalSystems will enter the market for positron emission tomographyscanners on Jan. 1 with the acquisition of Scanditronix's PETcamera business. This endorsement of PET by the world's largestmedical imaging vendor should boost clinical acceptance of
