Facility Management

Densitometry firms hope HCFA news will boost marketLunar of Madison, WI, celebrated last month when the Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s Achilles+ ultrasonometer less than a week after the Health Care Financing

HCFA submits telemedicine proposal for commentReimbursement policy would exclude store-and-forward consultations Lack of Medicare reimbursement has long been considered a primary stumbling block to the implementation and expansion of

CompuMed of Manhattan Beach, CA, announced this month its intention to acquire the assets of Northeast Imaging Center of East Orange, NJ. The deal will increase CompuMed's revenues by about 50% and will give the firm access to a medical imaging operation

Cyclotron developer forecasts shortage of FDG in futureIn an effort to keep pace with growing demand for F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), P.E.T.Net Pharmaceutical Services of Norcross, GA, plans to establish up to 33 more cyclotron sites throughout

The nuclear medicine community has reason for celebration following the Health Care Financing Administration's June 3 announcement of a national average payment for PET scans. According to ADAC Laboratories of Milpitas, CA, HCFA stated that its Medicare

HCFA decision on Medicare PET payment level gives lift to SNM attendeesThe remarkable comeback of the nuclear medicine industry continues unabated. Attendees at this month’s Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Toronto found that the

Company snatched rights to UGM camera from GENuclear medicine vendor ADAC Laboratories plans to use next month’s Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Toronto as a launching pad for its foray into the dedicated PET market. ADAC on June 1

Executives at imaging center chain U.S. Diagnostic believe the firm is back on track following three straight quarters of losses. The West Palm Beach, FL-based firm posted a 6% increase in revenue and a net profit during its first quarter.For the period

Driven by record performance in its software businesses, ADAC Laboratories reported a 10.6% increase in revenue during its 1998 fiscal second quarter. The Milpitas, CA-based firm credited strong contributions from the HealthCare Information Systems

Syncor has named medical services executive James Usdan as president and CEO of its Comprehensive Medical Imaging subsidiary, which was formed earlier this year to handle Syncor’s burgeoning multimodality imaging center business (SCAN

Although consolidation of the fixed-site imaging center industry has stalled in the U.S., it continues to thrive north of the border. Fast-growing imaging center firm DC DiagnostiCare of Edmonton, Alberta, announced this month that it has acquired 37

Company sees promising growth in PET marketScintillation crystal developer Bicron is shifting the focus of its curved-plate detector program to target PET applications rather than SPECT, according to an executive with the Newbury, OH, firm.

USDL and Medical Resources put growth on holdImaging services consolidation has gone mobile with a West Coast flair. Two California firms with large mobile MRI fleets have risen to the top of the pack through acquisition, while two leading

The nuclear medicine group of Siemens Medical Systems announced that it shipped its 100th ECAT Exact PET camera in March. The camera will be installed at the Rhoen Clinic in Bad Berka, Germany, according to the Hoffman Estates, IL-based division. With

Company to focus on physician offices through PSSBone measurement companies are hoping that a new wave of ultrasound-based densitometers will help lead their market out of the doldrums. Hologic of Waltham, MA, will become the first densitometry

Recent PurchasesAcuson of Mountain View, CA, has installed its 150th Aegis digital image and data management network at Sparrow Hospital of Lansing, MI. The network links the 450-bed Sparrow hospital with a new diagnostic imaging center in the

Imaging center firm InSight Health Services has signed a letter of intent to purchase Signal Medical Services in an acquisition that would bring a significant fleet of mobile units to InSight's operations. It would also add three new states-Connecticut,

Imaging center PACS market is profitable niche for DR SystemsVendor remains one of the last of the independent PACS firmsDR Systems has discovered an interesting niche in the PACS market. Formed in 1992, the small, independent company has

Syncor International has completed its acquisition of the medical imaging businesses of National Diagnostic Services and TME, two of three imaging center chains the company said it plans to buy (SCAN 2/4/98). The deals closed on Jan. 31 and Jan.

Medicare payments may focus attention on techniqueMR spectroscopy may finally be ready to shed its image as a research tool with limited clinical application thanks to the Health Care Financing Administration's decision to approve Medicare and

Imaging center chain Medical Resources of Hackensack, NJ, has named Duane Montopoli president and CEO. Montopoli, who previously served as president and CEO of polymer manufacturer Chemfab, replaces acting Medical Resources CEO Lawrence Ramaekers.

Purchases will result in 35-center network in South and WestThe character of the imaging services business changed almost overnight last month after radiopharmacy company Syncor International announced its intent to acquire three imaging center

The Health Care Financing Administration has approved Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for MR spectroscopy, giving a major boost to this still-developing procedure. HCFA's decision is retroactive to Jan. 1, and imaging facilities are reporting that

Once-hot vendors struggled through difficult 1997For the bone densitometry market, 1997 might be a year best forgotten. The momentum generated by the approval of Merck's Fosamax osteoporosis drug in 1995 appeared to be fading as bone measurement

The impending introduction of digital x-ray detectors is beginning to spur debate over the influence the technology will have on medical imaging. Proponents of digital detectors believe that the technology will have a revolutionary impact as the massive

Investors sold shares of bone densitometry company Hologic last month after the Waltham, MA, firm announced that it expected lower revenues for its first quarter (end-December). Hologic on Dec. 23 told investors that it expected first-quarter sales of

Decision also applies to coincidence detection techniquesPositron imaging has entered the clinical mainstream. On Jan. 1, Medicare began reimbursing for the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer using positron imaging. And this may be only the

CPS will fill orders in Positron's backlogPositron this month took a step toward getting its financial house in order by signing a letter of intent to outsource its manufacturing and service capacity to fellow PET developer CTI PET Systems (CPS).

New financing supports aggressive acquisition modeProspects for MRI services are sound and improving. Although average reimbursement in the U.S. continues to trend down, the drop in payment levels has moderated substantially and is more than

TeleMed III highlights market progress as companies prepare for growthNew legislation and software breathe life into telemedicineChanges in reimbursement rules and product development are stirring speculation that 1998 could be a banner