Facility Management

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

Company will sell systems now marketed by GENuclear medicine vendor ADAC Laboratories scored a coup this month over rival GE Medical Systems by signing an agreement with UGM Medical Systems for UGM's low-cost PET cameras. GE had been selling the

Bone densitometry firm Hologic (Hall A, #3447) will be breathing easier at its RSNA booth since the Health Care Financing Administration last month published revised Medicare reimbursement rates that correct misprinted figures released earlier this year.

As expected, one-time charges related to two recent acquisitions conspired to produce a $15.5 million loss for the third quarter (end-September) at bone densitometry firm Norland Medical Systems of White Plains, NY. Norland also reported lower revenues

Company reports good news on FDG reimbursementADAC Laboratories reported last week that sales of its Molecular Coincidence Detection high-energy imaging upgrade for gamma cameras rebounded in the company's fourth quarter (end-September). The

New rates provide big increases for axial, peripheral scansThe Health Care Financing Administration provided bone densitometry companies with a Halloween treat on Oct. 31 by releasing new bone densitometry reimbursement rates that include sharp

Bone densitometry firms will probably benefitA massive study designed to develop a database to identify women at risk of osteoporosis was launched this month with the backing of pharmaceutical giant Merck of Whitehouse Station, NJ, which markets

The bone densitometry market appears to have hit a rough patch. The once-hot segment has stumbled over the last several months as international demand slows, while equipment purchasing in the U.S. has been affected by confusion over proposed changes in

A wealthy Spanish industrialist has acquired a 52% position in magnetic source imaging developer Biomagnetic Technologies of San Diego. The acquisition represents the culmination of Enrique Maso's lifelong interest in the measurement of magnetism in the

Imaging center firm Medical Resources continues to grow through acquisitions. With the purchase of six centers in Ohio, Hackensack, NJ-based Medical Resources has 101 imaging centers in its stable. The company has also acquired RIS developer Dalcon

Shares of bone densitometry vendor Lunar plunged on Sept. 22 after the Madison, WI, company announced that it expected to post flat revenues and lower profits for its first fiscal quarter (end-September). The results were due to lower-than-expected