Facility Management

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

Acuson and its founder/CEO Samuel H. Maslak are hitting the roadthis month to tout technology in a manner reminiscent of the ultrasoundvendor's initial launch of its high-end 128 scanner a decade ago.Similarities between 1983 and 1993 abound, not only in

A year after the General Accounting Office lambasted MRI centersfor overcharging Medicare for imaging scans, a new study commissionedby the Quality Imaging Association contradicts the GAO findings. In its 1992 report, the GAO charged that centers were

You know a business situation is dim when the bright side is thata good chunk of your competition may close shop before you do.That about sums up the state of the outpatient imaging servicesmarket. And wither goes imaging services, so go the

The General Accounting Office released a study last month disclosingthat Florida physicians with imaging center investment interestsordered far more medical imaging tests than doctors who did notself-refer. The GAO's findings have already provided

Demand for new MRI systems continues in the private-practice/outpatient-centermarket, although buyers faced with declining reimbursement arepressing for lower equipment prices. Otsuka Electronics will shipseven of its OE 1.5 SI MRI systems this spring,

Opponents of a form of imaging center networking known as scanbrokering are waging a battle against the practice in California.A bill that would ban scan brokering is undergoing hearings inthe state Legislature. Assembly bill 1898 was sponsored by the

Diagnostic Health has switched tracks in its imaging-center acquisitiondrive but is still rolling towards the goal of building a 30-centerchain over the next two to three years. With stock markets spookedby the uncertainty of impending health-care

Play the flip side of the health-care, cost-containment bluesand you will hear some well-placed companies singing market rhapsodies.Wall Street whistled to the tune of $6 million in support of niche-MRIdeveloper Magna-Lab last month, despite the