Facility Management

Medicare reimbursement for rubidium is on the horizonProponents of clinical PET suffered a serious blow late last monthafter the Food and Drug Administration announced that it wouldrequire PET facilities to submit new drug applications for

Technology to make PACS work efficiently has finally arrivedIt has been more than a decade since medical imaging vendors beganpromoting the concept of picture archiving and communicationssystems (PACS). The initial promise of PACS was so great

Consolidated Technology Group (COTG) reported last week that it has completed its acquisitionof the Magnetic Resonance Institute in Arlington, VA. COTG, ofNew York City, bought the center for $950,000 in cash. The purchasecompletes the company's goal of

Company to pursue center management contractsMedical Imaging Centers of America made considerable progressin stanching its red ink in 1994. The company last month posteda net loss for 1994 of $494,000, down sharply from the $29.6 millionnet loss

BTI secures new financing as backlog risesManufacturers of magnetic source imaging (MSI) devices are strugglingto find a niche for their technology in a health-care environmentincreasingly hostile to expensive medical equipment. One

In a case considered a harbinger of things to come for the imaging center industry, Thomas E. Haire,founder of Radiation Care, an Atlanta-based radiation therapyprovider, agreed in December to a fine of $2 million, ending atwo-year federal investigation

Products target expanding market for bone examsTwo leading vendors of bone densitometry equipment, Lunar andHologic, are in the peak financial condition following recordsales in 1994. Both companies expect their fortunes to improveeven further

IDSI's ULIT system to make debut at RSNA meeting Raymond leaves MR CooperativeMR Cooperative director Scott Raymondhas left the imaging center association for a position at Azron,a San Diego-based developer of electronic medical record

Industry limps through second year of recession The steep declinein diagnostic imaging equipment sales is a wake-up call for anyonewho has yet to accept that the industry is undergoing a sweepingtransformation that affects every aspect of

Freestanding imaging centers may escape rate scheduleThe freewheeling outpatient health-care segment is set to receivea healthy dose of economic discipline courtesy of Uncle Sam, whois threatening to rein in outpatient costs with a system

Physician owners seem to be awaiting better offersThere hasn'tbeen much fury in the storm of imaging center acquisitions forecastfor this year. Although referring-physician owners face federaland state deadlines to divest their ownership

Drug firm sees potential in Johnson & Johnson allianceMRI is becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of medical imaging. Manyfirms are scrambling to scale back investment in the technologyor are leaving the business altogether. The latest company

Imaging market decimated by reform awaits vendorMRI developerMagna-Lab is targeting a late fall release date for its Magna-SLniche scanner, which received Food and Drug Administration 510(k)clearance for extremity scanning this month. To find

Physicians are eager for latest technologyJust as most radiologists and other clinicians in developing marketsprefer the latest in scanner technology, they are also eager forthe safety and performance advantages of nonionic radiographiccontrast

PET may also get a boost from FDA certification of FDGThe soundyou hear may be gridlock breaking. Positron emission tomographypassed two regulatory milestones last month that could help breathelife into moribund sales of this high-end nuclear

Mallinckrodt to sell pioneering echo contrast agent After nearlyfour years of premarket approval (PMA) review, the Food and DrugAdministration this month certified the first ultrasound contrastagent for sale in the U.S. Echocardiography agent

Bone densitometry vendorHologic last week announced strong revenue and income growth forthe third quarter (end-June). The company's prospects have beenhelped by the Health Care Financing Administration's decisionto provide Medicare reimbursement for dual

Center firm builds teaching hospital alliancesWhile many radiologists anticipate increased competitive threatsfrom health-care changes under way in the U.S., subspecialty radiologycould benefit from greater imaging competition and managed

Executives at contrast supplierSquibb Diagnostics are looking into expanding their relationshipwith Bracco Industria Chimica SPA of Milan, Italy. One optionunder discussion is the sale of Squibb Diagnostics to Bracco. "We've been in discussions

Hybrid system fails to show results Shimadzu Medical Systems is finding the going tough in the U.S.MRI market. The vendor is scaling back its direct-sales MRI effortin favor of a distributor and dealer sales network. Shimadzu said last month

The NASDAQ stock exchange hasadded insult to injury to Medical Imaging Centers of America (MICA).The San Diego-based firm, already suffering from the high costof an expensive lease portfolio, announced last month that itsstock has been delisted from

This month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meetingin Orlando was proof positive that the recent slump in gamma camerapurchasing has not had a pronounced effect on technological innovation.Despite a plunge in orders that began late last year,

Chain targets $100 million revenue by 1996 Imaging center firm Diagnostic Health of Birmingham, AL, has founda unnamed financial partner willing to invest at least $30 millionin its effort to build a $100 million imaging services companyby 1996.

Imaging center firm ImageAmerica has changed its name to MedAlliance. The new name reflects the changesthat have occurred at the Nashville company since it embarkedon a strategy to acquire physician group practices as a meansof compensating for declines