Facility Management

Shifting alliances in intravascular ultrasound compose a dancechoreographed by companies with an eye on a market that just mightbe something--someday. Catheter firm Boston Scientific partedwith ultrasound vendor Diasonics in July to jump on the back

Aetna Health Plans has joined the growing list of private insurancecompanies that have authorized reimbursement of positron emissiontomography scans. Aetna began covering PET scans early this year after the company'stechnology review board last winter

An engine is driving the U.S. imaging center industry slowly butsurely toward consolidation of independents into regional andnationwide chains. While the octane in the fuel that feeds thisengine is regulatory restriction of referring physician

California's state legislature resolved its budget stalemate lastmonth, but not before cutting 9.5% in Medi-Cal payments to radiologists,anesthesiologists and surgeons. The last-minute addition to thestate's budget bill is expected to save about $7

Niche MR may be an emerging market, but it is not a totally newfocus of corporate attention. Metriflow Medical Systems of Milwaukeeobtained Food and Drug Administration approval of its AFM-100blood flow scanner five years ago. The firm is just now

Rx Medical Services will leverage its experience in clinical laboratoriesinto a position in medical imaging. The company, based in NewportBeach, CA, last month made the first of what it hopes will bemany imaging center acquisitions with the purchase of

Seven years of turmoil in the picture archiving and communicationsystems market has led to greater emphasis on productivity andcost-effective equipment. But radiology departments often assumethat adding new technology in PACS will automatically

Cytocare squelched a class action suit in May that had been promptedby the firm's declining fortunes in the lithotripsy market anda corresponding drop in stock price. A Santa Ana, CA, federaldistrict judge granted the firm's summary motion to dismiss

Venture capital firms provide essential funds to keep start-upcompanies afloat before they are ready to tap more advanced formsof financing. But the price for venture support is diminishedmanagerial autonomy. When entrepreneurs and investors don't seeeye

New imaging center acquisitions are running at a subdued pace,according to Terrance Gill, president of Medical Ventures in SolanaBeach, CA. Parent company of the nonprofit Cooperative MRI organization,Medical Ventures lined up private capital to back a

Independent MRI vendor Resonex will use its 50% position in anAtlanta imaging center company as a vehicle to build sales inthe growing orthopedic imaging niche, according to Gerald D. Knudson,president and CEO. Resonex of Sunnyvale, CA, helped form

The nation's largest private insurer has endorsed reimbursementof positron emission tomography (PET) scans in brain tumors andepilepsy, and PET proponents believe federal payments are notfar behind. The recommendation to pay for PET comes from the Blue

A downturn in new freestanding imaging center growth, coupledwith buyer anxiety in other health-care sectors, has made 1992a disappointing year for new MRI system placements in the U.S. Manufacturers will sell about 500 new systems in the U.S.

Medical imaging investors are closely following efforts by federaland state lawmakers to reform financial rollups. While rollupabuses have largely occurred outside the imaging center industry,legal reform efforts could limit a promising channel for

A federal proposal to cut medical costs and boost health insuranceavailability has passed a critical Congressional juncture. Thebill would regulate national health-care spending through costcaps to doctors, hospitals and medical equipment manufacturers.

John P. Heinrich is back in the MRI business, although indirectly.The former vice president of MRI at Johnson & Johnson's defunctTechnicare subsidiary was appointed president and COO of SummitWorld Trade in December. Summit, based in Hudson, OH, is a

This issue of DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SCAN is number 120, marking fivefull years of publication. It has been a wild and fun five yearsfor us. Few industries other than medical imaging could offerso much corporate drama and technological razzmatazz.SCAN's

Syncor International has filed a petition with the Food and DrugAdministration in a move related to the agency's review of radiopharmaceuticalsfor positron emission computed tomography.Syncor, headquartered in Chatsworth, CA, operates 94 nuclear

Cardiovascular Imaging Systems (CVIS) of Sunnyvale, CA, went publiclast month, raising about $10 million. The funds will help expandmarketing and development of intravascular ultrasound products,according to Richard M. Ferrari, president and CEO. CVIS

A positron emission tomography utilization model developed bythe American Hospital Association indicates a strong clinicalrationale for PET. On the flip side, while some private payersreimburse the procedure, the modality's high cost and a reluctanceon

DVI Health Services of Irvine, CA, switched its stock listingfrom the NASDAQ over-the-counter market to the New York StockExchange last week. At the same time, DVI offered 1.525 millionshares of common stock in New York at $10 per share. The

Toshiba America Medical Systems has completed restructuring ofits U.S. field sales and service organization for all imagingmodalities other than ultrasound. A two-zone system should improveToshiba's ability to respond to customers and coordinate

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Connecticut has acquired a 60% equityshare of Signal Medical Services, an imaging services firm basedin Farmington, CT. The deal was closed last month after Signalrejected an offer from venture capitalists from Atlanta.

Fee-per-scan payment plans are gaining popularity among institutionsconsidering fixed-site MRI. Greater difficulty for providers inqualifying for low-cost equipment financing has helped spur demandfor fee-per-scan financing. In a fee-per-scan plan,

A new slant to outpatient imaging services may be in the offing:combination mammography screening and minimally invasive needlebiopsy centers. Breast-screening-only centers never gained much momentum, largelybecause of the low level of reimbursement