Digirad sets up imaging service with two acquisitions

Gamma camera maker Digirad is going into cardiology imaging service in a big way, with the purchase of two companies and creation of a new subsidiary.

The company announced early this month that it had established Orion Imaging Systems as a wholly owned subsidiary to provide services to cardiology imaging facilities across the U.S.

The new company initially consisted of Florida Cardiology and Nuclear Medicine Group, with more than 20 physicians' offices, but it quickly acquired Nuclear Imaging Systems (NIS) of Malvern, PA, the largest mobile cardiology imaging service provider in the U.S. The service performs more than 6000 nuclear cardiology imaging studies each year in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina. NIS was incorporated into Orion.

Digirad's primary product, the 2020tc Imager, is a lightweight portable gamma camera. The 2020tc will be installed in the back of a van.

Privately owned Digirad announced in May that it had received $10 million in private equity financing (SCAN, 5/10/00). Notable investors are Columbia/HCA Healthcare, the largest hospital chain in the U.S., and Mitsui, Digirad's Japanese distributor.

Digirad is using the funds to increase its manufacturing capacity and expand its sales and marketing efforts. The company is headquartered in San Diego.