I S S U E - DOTmed.com
I S S U E - DOTmed.com
I S S U E - DOTmed.com
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Visit <strong>DOTmed</strong> at:<br />
Market Intelligence on New and Used Equipment & Parts from www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong><br />
MRI<br />
I<br />
■ MRI<br />
■ Respiratory Therapy<br />
■ Infusion Pumps<br />
■ Mobile Trailer Transportation,<br />
Trailer Storage, MRI Keep Cold Service<br />
■ Chillers<br />
IDN Summit, September 23-25, Dallas, TX<br />
HCP Fall Radiology & Imaging Conference, September 23-25, Tampa, FL<br />
SEPTEMBER 2009<br />
S<br />
S<br />
U<br />
E<br />
SM
contents<br />
features<br />
46 Vetting Medical Equipment<br />
Sometimes, medical care goes to the dogs. Fortunately,<br />
there are professionals and machines to handle them.<br />
61 Workforce Overview<br />
There is a high percentage of unemployment – but is it<br />
plaguing the health care industry?<br />
64 Prosthetics<br />
We take a look at what science and medicine is doing in this<br />
fascinating field.<br />
20 MRI<br />
MRI continues to make advancements, both in equipment and applications.<br />
37 Respiratory<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> takes a look at what’s breathing life into this segment.<br />
41 Chillers<br />
The Chiller market is keeping its cool in the current economic climate.<br />
49 Infusion Pumps<br />
Get the latest market information on this equipment.<br />
54 Mobile Trailer Transportation, Trailer<br />
Storage, MRI Keep Cold Service<br />
There’s much more to this story than putting the pedal to the metal<br />
and hitting the open road.<br />
departments<br />
2 Letter from the Editor<br />
4 Feedback<br />
4 Up<strong>com</strong>ing Events Calendar<br />
6 Hospital & Health News<br />
10 Healthcare Chronicles<br />
12 What’s New<br />
16 In the Next Issue<br />
16 Focus on Performance<br />
18 People & Companies<br />
32 Product Showcase<br />
35 Money Health<br />
60 Shows & Conferences<br />
54<br />
20<br />
SEPTEMbER 2009<br />
68 This Month in Medical History<br />
69 Law & Order<br />
72 Old Into Gold<br />
74 Marketplace & Classifieds<br />
80 Blue Book Price Guide
letter from the editor<br />
The Give and Take of Health Care<br />
Recently, I’ve noticed an abundance of<br />
stories about particularly impressive steps<br />
forward in medical procedures and studies.<br />
At first, I felt like discounting them a little<br />
– since I’ve been more aware of a few big<br />
developments, maybe it just magnified others<br />
I wouldn’t normally notice…<br />
So, I began to review some of the big<br />
stories from recent months. Now, I no longer<br />
believe it was my imagination. Medical<br />
discoveries seem to be gathering steam. I<br />
find it amazing, after hearing months’ worth<br />
of doom and gloom about the economy, that<br />
science and medicine has made significant<br />
advances. There has been news on all fronts – pharmaceuticals, surgical procedures,<br />
even on food studies – both for general health and for medicinal<br />
purposes.<br />
Basically, it goes a long way to instill a sense of wonder in me about the<br />
work done by individuals. Especially when you must consider the fact that<br />
many of these individuals don’t just do lab work, or O/R work – they also get<br />
in front of boards and <strong>com</strong>mittees to get funding for the work. That has to be<br />
nearly as challenging during these times.<br />
Many of these stories can be found within the pages of this issue. They can<br />
also be found on our web site, www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>. I hope you enjoy them.<br />
2<br />
Please outline the content of the article<br />
and provide a brief description of your<br />
qualifications as an authority<br />
in your field.<br />
By email to:<br />
news@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
By mail to:<br />
The Editor, <strong>DOTmed</strong> Business News<br />
29 Broadway, Suite 2500<br />
New York, NY 10006<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Until next issue!<br />
Sean Ruck<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Business News<br />
Call for<br />
Submissions and<br />
White Papers<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Business News SM<br />
invites all medical industry<br />
professionals who have unique<br />
experience or knowledge in<br />
any clinical or business area of<br />
health care to submit an article<br />
for publication.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> SM provides the <strong>DOTmed</strong> Business News SM to its registered users free of charge. <strong>DOTmed</strong> SM<br />
makes no warranty, representation or guarantee as to the accuracy or timeliness of its content.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> SM may suspend or cancel this service at any time and for any reason without liability or<br />
obligation to any party. All trade names, trademarks and trade dress contained herein belong to<br />
their respective owners and are used herein with the intent to represent the goods and services<br />
of their respective owners. If you think your trade name, trademark or trade dress is not properly<br />
represented, please contact <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>, Inc.<br />
September 2009<br />
Publisher<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>, Inc.<br />
President<br />
Philip F. Jacobus<br />
Executive Editor<br />
Robert Garment<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 243<br />
rgarment@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
Sean Ruck<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 218<br />
sruck@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Associate Editor<br />
Barbara Kram<br />
Creative Editor<br />
Bradley Rose<br />
Editorial Coordinator<br />
Kathy Mahdoubi<br />
Design Director<br />
Stephanie Biddle<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Ed Sloan, Wayne Webster, Keith Loria,<br />
Joan Trombetti, Regina Geok-Ling Tan,<br />
Paul Keough, Mary Kate Baumann,<br />
Astrid Fiano<br />
Advertising<br />
Sales Director: David Blumenthal<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 224<br />
dblumenthal@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
National Account Manager: Don Hurtikant<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 275<br />
dhurtikant@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Account Executive: Sean Collins<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 288<br />
scollins@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Account Executive: Courtney Conway<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 289<br />
cconway@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Account Executive: Daniel Gaspar<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 203<br />
dgaspar@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Account Executive: Rigo Smith<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 207<br />
rsmith@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Press Releases<br />
If you have news regarding your <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
submit it to: pr@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Article and Story Consideration<br />
If you have an article or feature story you<br />
would like the editors of <strong>DOTmed</strong> Business<br />
News to consider publishing, submit it to:<br />
news@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Letters to the Editor<br />
Submit letters to the editors to:<br />
news-<strong>com</strong>ments@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
Auctions<br />
If you want information about auctioning<br />
equipment on <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>, please call:<br />
212-742-1200 Ext. 296, or email us at<br />
auctions@dotmed.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Business News is published by<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong> Inc., 29 Broadway, Suite 2500,<br />
New York, NY 10006<br />
Copyright 2009 <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>, Inc.<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
feedback<br />
It’s a Salary Shortage<br />
When you use the phrase “labor shortage” or “skills shortage”<br />
you’re speaking in a sentence fragment. What you actually<br />
mean to say is: “There is a labor shortage at the salary level<br />
I’m willing to pay.” That statement is the correct phrase; the<br />
<strong>com</strong>plete sentence and the intellectually honest statement.<br />
If you start raising your wages and improving the working<br />
conditions and continue to do so, you’ll solve your shortage<br />
and will shortly have people lining up around the block<br />
to work.<br />
Employers speak of shortages as though they represent<br />
some absolute, readily identifiable lack of desirable services.<br />
Price is rarely accorded its proper importance in their rhetoric.<br />
Medical jobs require training and/or certification. Again, the<br />
solution is to raise your wages and improve benefits. People<br />
will self-fund their education so that they can enter the industry<br />
in a work-ready state. The attractive wages, working conditions<br />
and career prospects of technology during the 1980s<br />
and 1990s were a prime example of people’s willingness to<br />
self-fund their own career re-education.<br />
Bob Makarowski<br />
4<br />
�������������������������������<br />
The Unfors Xi, now in its Platinum Edition, is a <strong>com</strong>plete<br />
system for diagnostic x-ray multi-parameter measurements<br />
on all modalities. This includes Radiography, Fluoroscopy,<br />
Mammography, Dental and CT. Added options include separate<br />
detectors for luminance and illuminance measurements and<br />
radiation scatter or leakage measurements, both of which can<br />
be quickly attached to the Unfors Xi. For reporting purposes,<br />
the new Unfors QA View software is now available.<br />
All designed to increase your<br />
accuracy and productivity!<br />
The Unfors Concept<br />
Accurate result 10s to learn Pocket sized<br />
www.unfors.<strong>com</strong><br />
Unfors Instruments, Inc.<br />
48 Anderson Avenue, Suite 1<br />
New Milford, CT 06776, USA<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Flexible reporting software<br />
One meter – all applications<br />
Truly easy to use<br />
Phone: (866) 4UNFORS<br />
+1 (860) 355-2588<br />
Fax: +1 (860) 350-2664<br />
E-mail: info@unfors.<strong>com</strong><br />
Further Investigation<br />
Is it possible to do research on why Hospitals and Insurance<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies want to eliminate the LPN?<br />
The role/function of the LPN can always be expanded to<br />
fill the gaps and shortages of RN coverage so shouldn’t there<br />
be some focus there?<br />
Paula D. Malone RSA, SA-C, RST, CST, LPN II<br />
[Editor’s Note: see dm9889 for the original story]<br />
Events for September 2009<br />
ISUOG 19th World Congress on Ultrasound<br />
in Obstetrics and Gynecology 2009, Sept.<br />
13-17, Hamburg, Germany<br />
RAPS (Regulatory Affairs) Annual<br />
Conference & Exhibition 2009, Sept. 13-16,<br />
Philadelphia, PA<br />
Joint Commission Annual Conference on<br />
Quality and Patient Safety 2009, Sept. 14-16,<br />
Rosemont, IL<br />
HOSPIMedica Thailand 4th International<br />
Exhibition 2009, Sept. 16-18, Bangkok,<br />
Thailand<br />
VBA (Virginia Biomedical Association) Annual<br />
Meeting 2009, Sept. 17-18, Williamsburg, VA<br />
CIRSE (Cardiovascular & Interventional<br />
Radiology) Annual Scientific and<br />
Postgraduate Educational Meeting 2009,<br />
Sept. 19-23, Lisbon, Portugal<br />
MD&M (Medical Design & Manufacturing)<br />
Midwest Conference and Exhibition 2009,<br />
Sept. 21-24, Rosemont, Il<br />
IDN Summit & Expo Fall 2009, Sept. 23-25,<br />
Grapevine, TX<br />
World Molecular Imaging Congress 2009,<br />
Sept. 23-26, Montreal, Canada<br />
Health Connect Partners Fall Radiology<br />
and Imaging Conference 2009, Sept. 23-25,<br />
Tampa, FL<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
A very good sign.<br />
Want to take the risk out of parts ordering and field service requests?<br />
You’re headed in the right direction…<br />
PARTS<br />
������������������������������<br />
�����������������������<br />
������������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������<br />
������������������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������<br />
�������������������������<br />
�������������������<br />
���������������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������<br />
��������������������������������������������������������<br />
���������������������������������������������������<br />
MagnaServ<br />
Parts Line: 772-219-2229 (Ask for Gregg Pearson)<br />
866-283-4288 | magnaserv.<strong>com</strong><br />
����������������������<br />
����������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������<br />
��������������������������<br />
������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������<br />
�����������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������������������<br />
�������������������<br />
������������������<br />
����������������������������������������������<br />
������������������������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������
Influenza Pandemic Planning Needed for<br />
Pregnant Woman and Newborns<br />
The findings, published online in Emerging Health Threats<br />
Journal, raise concerns about the ability of hospitals to adequately<br />
treat this vulnerable population, particularly in light of<br />
the current H1N1 flu outbreak.<br />
“Although it is not clear how well modern medicine will<br />
be able to prevent devastation during a large-scale infectious<br />
disease outbreak, it is widely recognized that advance planning<br />
may lessen the negative impact,” said study author Richard<br />
Beigi, M.D., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and<br />
Reproductive Sciences at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.<br />
“This is especially important for pregnant women, fetuses and<br />
neonates, all of whom are often left out of national level consideration.”<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9068<br />
6<br />
hospital & health news<br />
To view these articles in their entirety, visit www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong> and enter the DM code<br />
(ex: dm1234) directly following the article in any search news/forum box on our web site.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
TOLL FREE 888-304-7859<br />
Dealers<br />
Wanted!<br />
Tangent Announces Energy Efficient<br />
All-In-One PC Designed As Notebook<br />
Replacement for Medical Carts<br />
Tangent Inc. (www.tangent.<strong>com</strong>), a leading provider of technology<br />
solutions for the medical market, today unveiled VITA<br />
LT, a space and energy saving All-in-One PC for the medical<br />
market that is perfect for mobile cart solutions.<br />
Ultra-light (10.5 lbs.) and ultra-thin (1.4”) and with an<br />
18.5 inch widescreen LCD, the VITA LT is designed as a notebook<br />
replacement for medical carts.<br />
As part of the new product launch, the <strong>com</strong>pany is offering<br />
the system at a reduced cost on selected carts.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9731<br />
New Data Say Uninsured Account for Nearly<br />
One-Fifth of Emergency Room Visits<br />
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released new data from<br />
the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample -- the largest,<br />
all-payer emergency department database in the United States.<br />
The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample is designed<br />
to help public health experts, policymakers, health care administrators,<br />
researchers, journalists and others find the data<br />
they need to answer questions about care that occurs in U.S.<br />
hospital emergency departments.<br />
The data indicates that uninsured persons accounted for<br />
nearly one-fifth of the 120 million hospital-based emergency<br />
department visits in 2006.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9690<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
You have a choice.<br />
With the greatest repair capabilities<br />
in third-party coil service and OEM<br />
quality, customers have saved over<br />
$35 million dollars by choosing us.<br />
Call MVS for services on all coil<br />
makes and models.<br />
www.medrad.<strong>com</strong>/mvs 1-800-MEDRAD-1 x5100<br />
MEDRAD, and Multi Vendor Service (MVS) are federally registered trademarks, and Performance. For Life. Is a trademark of MEDRAD, INC. USA. Copyright 2008 MEDRAD, INC. All Rights Reserved.
Low-Dose CT Method, Delivering 50% Less<br />
Radiation, Correctly Identifies Patients<br />
With Appendicitis<br />
Patients with possible appendicitis are typically evaluated using<br />
a standard-dose contrast enhanced CT, but a low-dose unenhanced<br />
CT that delivers approximately 50% less radiation is<br />
just as effective, according to a study performed at the Seoul<br />
National University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea. The<br />
standard-dose enhanced CT scan delivers approximately 8.0<br />
millisieverts (mSv) of radiation; the low-dose unenhanced CT<br />
scan delivers approximately 4.2 mSv of radiation.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9734<br />
Angio Procedures Growing at a Steady<br />
4%-5% Clip<br />
According to IMV’s recent census of angio labs in the U.S.,<br />
an estimated 4.8 million procedures were performed at 1,720<br />
angio lab sites in 2008, including non-coronary vascular angiography<br />
and other procedures performed in the angio labs.<br />
From 2004 to 2008, total procedures performed in angio labs<br />
grew 20%, from 4.0 million in 2004 to 4.8 million procedures<br />
in 2008 for hospitals with 150+ beds, resulting in an average<br />
annual growth rate of 4%-5%.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9732<br />
8<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Direct Capital Expands Medical Equipment<br />
Finance Division<br />
Direct Capital, a leading nationwide provider of equipment<br />
leasing and financing, has taken several key steps to expand<br />
its Medical Equipment Finance Division.<br />
The <strong>com</strong>pany has announced that it will allocate nearly<br />
$68 million in lending capacity to immediately provide more<br />
substantial financing programs to vendors that sell medical,<br />
dental, and veterinary equipment. The program allows financing<br />
from as low as $2,000 up to about $250,000, Paul<br />
Ringuette, Vice President of Sales for Direct Capital, told<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> News.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9720<br />
ReMedPar Launches New Website<br />
ReMedPar has just launched its new website, www.ReMedPar.<br />
<strong>com</strong>. The updated look reflects some changes at the <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
and is part of a rebranding for the medical parts leader.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9764<br />
Medicare Cuts Will Force Many Cancer<br />
Centers to Close<br />
A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid<br />
Services (CMS) to cut payments for radiation therapy treatments<br />
would cause many cancer centers to close, stop accepting<br />
Medicare patients, lay off support staff and reduce services<br />
to cancer patients, according to a survey conducted by AS-<br />
TRO, the American Society for Radiation Oncology.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9781<br />
Sun Exposure May Trigger Certain Autoimmune<br />
Diseases in Women<br />
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight may be associated<br />
with the development of certain autoimmune diseases, particularly<br />
in women, according to a study by researchers at the<br />
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),<br />
part of the National Institutes of Health.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9820<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Selling Your Equipment Should Be Easy.<br />
With ANDA Medical, It Is.<br />
Firm Quotes in 48 Hours � Top Dollar Paid � Same Day Payment Available<br />
21 - 1051 Baxter Road � Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3P1<br />
andamedical.<strong>com</strong><br />
sales@andamedical.<strong>com</strong><br />
� X-ray<br />
� Monitors<br />
� Cath Labs<br />
� Ventilators<br />
� Anesthesia<br />
� Ultrasound<br />
� CT Scanners<br />
� Defibrillators<br />
� O/R Products<br />
� MRI Scanners<br />
� Mammography<br />
� Infant Care Products<br />
Call today: 613-726-7811<br />
ANDA Medical makes selling used equipment and<br />
idle assets easy because we’re serious buyers –<br />
and we pay top dollar, and pay promptly.<br />
We’ve built relationships with hospitals across<br />
North America. Call us to discuss your current<br />
inventory, or soon-to-be de<strong>com</strong>missioned sytems,<br />
and discover the ANDA difference.<br />
We would also be happy to sell you one of our<br />
high-quality refurbished units, as well.
American Eurocopter<br />
Appoints 2009 Vision Zero<br />
Aviation Safety Award<br />
Blue Ribbon Committee<br />
American Eurocopter has appointed<br />
the 2009 Vision Zero Aviation Safety<br />
Award Blue Ribbon Committee. The<br />
members of this <strong>com</strong>mittee will be<br />
responsible for evaluating the applications<br />
and determining the winner of<br />
the prestigious Vision Zero Aviation<br />
Safety award, which was established<br />
by American Eurocopter with the purpose<br />
of promoting a higher level of<br />
safety within the air medical industry.<br />
As part of the award, American Eurocopter<br />
will contribute up to $10,000 to<br />
the winner of the award to further develop<br />
aviation safety initiatives within<br />
their organization. This is the third<br />
year for the award.<br />
The 2008 award was given to Dr.<br />
Ira Blumen and team from the University<br />
of Chicago Medical Center for<br />
their tireless work on the Opportunities<br />
for Safety Improvement in Helicopter<br />
EMS (OSI-HEMS) research project.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9835<br />
PET Can Help Guide<br />
Treatment Decisions for a<br />
Common Pediatric Cancer<br />
A new study published in the August<br />
issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine<br />
shows that positron emission tomography<br />
(PET) is an important tool<br />
for depicting the extent of neuroblastoma<br />
in some patients, particularly for<br />
those in the early stages of the disease.<br />
Neuroblastoma accounts for six to ten<br />
percent of all childhood cancers in the<br />
United States and 15 percent of cancer<br />
deaths in children. Accurately identifying<br />
where in the body the disease is<br />
located and whether it is spreading is<br />
critical for choosing appropriate types<br />
of treatment, which can include surgery,<br />
chemotherapy, radiation and-in<br />
the most advanced cases-a <strong>com</strong>bination<br />
of all of these treatments along<br />
with bone marrow transplant or investigational<br />
therapies.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9830<br />
10<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news<br />
Healthcare<br />
Chronicles<br />
Without Customer Service,<br />
You Won’t Have Customers By Ed Sloan<br />
There’s an old airline <strong>com</strong>mercial I remember. Admittedly, I don’t remember<br />
it too well . . . I don’t remember exactly what airline it was advertising, but<br />
I remember the concept. In the <strong>com</strong>mercial, a CEO was reviewing a list of<br />
tasks and farming them out to his employees. Finally, he came to one that<br />
was presenting a serious problem. He chose the difficult, time-consuming<br />
and probably slightly intimidating job to take care of personally. Of course he used the<br />
airline (whichever it was) to meet immediately face-to-face with the customer. My feeling<br />
is that the airline wasn’t too important, but the idea the <strong>com</strong>mercial expressed was.<br />
At the heart of the matter, when things are not going well, you need to do whatever it<br />
takes to keep your customers happy and then you will keep your customers.<br />
Maybe the <strong>com</strong>mercial has stuck with me for so long because I had a similar experience<br />
over 15 years ago. At that time, a customer we had for about a year was having<br />
problems with a CT scanner going down. It took a little time to track down the issue,<br />
but our lead engineer did get the problem identified. However, the customer’s C-level<br />
people were not happy about the situation. It’s understandable – departments are doing<br />
their best to develop revenue sources, so when equipment goes down, it gets attention.<br />
Unfortunately, all the attention they were focusing on this problem was only prolonging<br />
the problem. The engineer was answering questions and addressing concerns<br />
of those watching the bottom-line so much, that he couldn’t effectively get the things<br />
he needed to ac<strong>com</strong>plish done. He called me for assistance late on a Thursday night and<br />
asked if I could take a flight in to help diffuse the situation. I told him I could probably<br />
get there before late afternoon the following day. He responded with an apologetic,<br />
“That’s not going to work.”<br />
Once I understood his situation, I caught the last flight that night from Nashville<br />
into Dallas and then caught the first available flight from Dallas at 5:30 am to Spokane,<br />
Washington, arriving early in the morning to meet with the clients. Just knowing the effort<br />
I went through to see them in person made a substantial impression. The fact that I,<br />
as the owner, was there to back my product meant the world to them.<br />
A lot of times that’s all it takes – show your customers you care enough to take control<br />
of the situation and to take responsibility for any problems. We did get the machine<br />
going again quickly. That, <strong>com</strong>bined with the efforts made to show the customer how<br />
important they were, kept the relationship on track. The relationship actually continued<br />
for another eight to ten years, until they disbanded their in-house groups and moved<br />
over to working with OEMs.<br />
The moral here – when it <strong>com</strong>es to running a successful business, customer service<br />
is key. However big or small your business is, without good customer service, it’s nothing.<br />
Never be reluctant to be in front of the customer – sometimes, a customer just needs<br />
someone there to help them through a difficult time.<br />
I’ve been in the industry a long time and I’ve seen <strong>com</strong>panies handle things the<br />
right and wrong ways. A <strong>com</strong>mon attitude with many younger <strong>com</strong>panies is to avoid<br />
the problems – if they just get away from the situation and leave it alone, it’ll get better.<br />
But things rarely get better with inattention. I’ve seen <strong>com</strong>panies avoid customers in<br />
troubling times, when really they should be there sweating with them.<br />
At the end of the day, people do business with people.<br />
Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10001<br />
•<br />
Ed Sloan is the founder of ReMedPar and has been in the industry for 23 years. He currently works in the diagnostic<br />
imaging aftermarket consulting business. Ed also serves on the Board of Directors at <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
12<br />
what’s new<br />
To view these articles in their entirety, visit www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong> and enter the DM code<br />
(ex: dm1234) directly following the article in any search news/forum box on our web site.<br />
MedicExchange Launches<br />
Customer Review Platform<br />
for Healthcare IT and Radiology<br />
Products<br />
MedicExchange has launched a <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
customer review platform<br />
for the healthcare IT and radiology<br />
products available through its website,<br />
www.medicexchange.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9787<br />
Supplier Bidding Starts in<br />
October for DMEPOS<br />
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid<br />
Services (CMS) have announced the<br />
60-day supplier bidding period will be-<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
gin in late October for the Round One<br />
Rebid of the Medicare Competitive<br />
Bidding Program for durable medical<br />
equipment, prosthetics, orthotics,<br />
and supplies (DMEPOS). CMS is<br />
conducting an intensive supplier outreach<br />
and education effort to help suppliers<br />
prepare for bidding in each of<br />
the nine <strong>com</strong>petitive bidding areas.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9821<br />
Switch to Digital Mammography<br />
Leads to Increased<br />
Cancer Detection Rates<br />
The use of digital mammography<br />
equipment alone is responsible for an<br />
increased number of breast cancers de-<br />
tected at a <strong>com</strong>munity-based mammography<br />
facility, according to a study performed<br />
at San Luis Diagnostic Center in<br />
San Luis Obispo, CA.<br />
Researchers found that there was<br />
a significant increase in the number of<br />
breast cancers detected following the<br />
switch from film-screen to digital mammography.<br />
The number of cancers detected<br />
prior to the switch averaged between<br />
4.1-4.5 cancers per 1,000 women<br />
imaged. Following the switch, the cancer<br />
detection rate increased to 7.9 cancers<br />
per 1,000 women imaged and has<br />
remained high. Breast cancer detection<br />
rates were evaluated using an auditing<br />
system.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9832<br />
Researchers<br />
Effectively Treat<br />
Tumors With Nanotubes<br />
By injecting man-made, microscopic<br />
tubes into tumors and heating them<br />
with a quick, 30-second zap of a laser,<br />
scientists have discovered a way to effectively<br />
kill kidney tumors in nearly<br />
80 percent of mice. Researchers say the<br />
finding suggests a potentially exciting<br />
cancer treatment for human beings.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9811<br />
EarthMed Medical Mission<br />
to Mongolia a Success<br />
A team of ten earthMed medical volunteers<br />
just returned from their travel to<br />
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to train Mongolian<br />
medical staff and conduct evaluations<br />
for improving health care. The<br />
earthMed medical team was in Mongolia<br />
since last May performing several<br />
open heart and surgical lung procedures<br />
with Mongolian staff members in two<br />
hospitals.<br />
The medical team provided cardiovascular<br />
and valve replacement surgery<br />
and anesthesia training, lung biopsy and<br />
resection surgery training, orthopedic/<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
egional anesthesia training, operating room nursing training,<br />
pharmacy management and biomedical engineering support at<br />
the Shastin University Hospital and the Tuberculosis Hospital<br />
of the National Center of Communicable Diseases.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9789<br />
Canon Introduces Industry’s Lightest<br />
DR Detector<br />
Canon has just released the thinnest and lightest flat panel<br />
digital radiography detectors yet. The CXDI-55G Multipurpose<br />
and Canon CXDI-55C Premium Flat Panel Detectors<br />
are 0.6 inches thick and weigh only 7.5 lbs.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9975<br />
ER Docs Should Trust Their Gut Instincts,<br />
Study Finds<br />
Emergency physicians should trust their “gut instincts” when<br />
evaluating patients who report chest pain, says Abhinav Chandra,<br />
M.D., who is director of acute care research and clinical<br />
evaluation at Duke University Medical Center.<br />
Dr. Chandra told <strong>DOTmed</strong> News that an ER doctor’s gut<br />
instincts about a heart patient are usually accurate -- and that’s<br />
not just a gut feeling--he set up a study to prove his theory.<br />
The data was culled from an earlier trial conducted between<br />
1999 and 2001, “where we were trying to understand<br />
heart attacks,” Dr. Chandra says. “We enrolled patients from<br />
nine different hospitals.<br />
“During this trial, we had to record patients’ symptoms,<br />
EKG findings, lab tests, and doctors’ impressions. Their impressions<br />
were made after getting results from EKGs and other<br />
diagnostic tests.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9823<br />
Nerve Blocks Superior to General<br />
Anesthesia for Breast Cancer Patients<br />
Nerve block trials are underway in several hospitals across the<br />
country as an alternative to general anesthesia for breast cancer<br />
patients needing mastectomies or lumpectomies.<br />
One such trial is being conducted by Dr. Tiffany Tedore,<br />
director of the division of Regional Anesthesia at New York-<br />
Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is<br />
<strong>com</strong>paring ultrasound-guided nerve blocks with general anesthesia<br />
for breast cancer surgery patients to see which approach<br />
results in better pain control, fewer side effects and quicker<br />
recovery time, Dr. Tedore tells <strong>DOTmed</strong> News.<br />
NewYork-Presbyterian currently offers nerve blocks for<br />
most orthopedic procedures, as well as breast cancer and<br />
vascular surgeries. Additional surgical procedures will be explored<br />
in the <strong>com</strong>ing months, the hospital says.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9831<br />
Electronic Nose Can Sniff Out Kidney<br />
Diseases and Lung Cancer<br />
A carbon nanosensor “electronic nose”, first developed by<br />
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology enabling researchers<br />
to detect cancer from breath samples, has been modified to<br />
identify chronic renal failure (CRF).<br />
The findings, reported in ACS Nano, could lead to a noninvasive<br />
and fairly inexpensive way to detect kidney diseases<br />
in their earliest and most treatable stages.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9866<br />
We Buy, Sell, Service,<br />
and Repair All<br />
Pathology/Histology<br />
Lab Equipment.<br />
Since 1990, Marston Technical Service has<br />
been providing the highest quality service for<br />
histology, pathology & cytology equipment,<br />
as well as centrifuges, microscopes, ovens,<br />
furnaces, incubators, and washers.<br />
Major brands we service:<br />
� SAKURA FINETEK, USA<br />
� THERMAL FISHER SCIENTIFIC<br />
� HACKER INSTRUMENTS<br />
� LEICA<br />
��TRIANGLE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES<br />
��RUSHAHB INSTRUMENTS<br />
� Plus Many More<br />
Call Us Today:<br />
1-800-966-1020<br />
Marston Technical Service, Inc.<br />
www.marstontechnical.<strong>com</strong> | marstontech@aol.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 13
New Lung Cancer Vaccines<br />
May Lower Costs, Accelerate<br />
Treatment<br />
In one to three years, new therapeutic<br />
vaccines could change standard treatment<br />
regimens for the most <strong>com</strong>monly<br />
diagnosed lung cancer-non-small cell<br />
lung cancer. Therapeutic cancer vaccines<br />
(TCVs), currently in late-phase<br />
clinical trials, may be introduced as adjuvant<br />
therapy that reduces undesirable<br />
side effects caused by toxic radiation<br />
and chemotherapy, according to a recent<br />
Health Technology Forecast released by<br />
ECRI Institute.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9869<br />
14<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Wasting Millions on Purchases<br />
Based on Physician<br />
Preference?<br />
Physician preference items (PPIs), a<br />
term used to describe a range of medical<br />
supplies, such as pricey orthopedic<br />
implants and cardiovascular devices,<br />
are estimated at 60% of a hospital’s total<br />
supply costs. With operating costs increasing<br />
and margins from both operations<br />
and pooled investments declining,<br />
many hospital executives-once willing<br />
to quietly overlook the inefficiencies<br />
and costs associated with allowing their<br />
medical staff to use whatever products<br />
they wanted-are forced to take corrective<br />
action.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9962<br />
BranScope’s Portable EEG<br />
Wins FDA Clearance<br />
BrainScope ZOOM-100DC, a handheld<br />
device for people with possible traumatic<br />
brain injury, has received FDA<br />
clearance.<br />
The 8-channel product, capable of<br />
recording and displaying EEG waveforms<br />
and providing conventional EEG<br />
measures displayed in tables, is designed<br />
especially for those patients who don’t<br />
have access to a hospital, for example,<br />
soldiers on the battlefield, athletes, and<br />
accident victims.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9939<br />
Anything less than perfect<br />
is not good enough.<br />
Over 19 years of un<strong>com</strong>promising quality.<br />
Every new & refurbished machine we sell is 100% guaranteed.<br />
������������������������������������������<br />
���������������������������������������������������������<br />
800-722-3646<br />
����������������<br />
Thomson Reuters Study<br />
Finds Impact of Recession<br />
Easing on U.S. Hospitals<br />
The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals<br />
increased from 0.17 percent in the<br />
third quarter of 2008 to 3.1 percent in<br />
the first quarter of 2009, according to an<br />
analysis of hospital finances published<br />
by Thomson Reuters.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9978<br />
Kinetic Variable Helps Identify<br />
Malignant MRI-Detected<br />
Breast Lesions<br />
Breast MRI allows physicians to evaluate<br />
suspicious lesions using a variety of<br />
variables. Researchers have found that<br />
<strong>com</strong>puter-aided kinetic information can<br />
help significantly in distinguishing benign<br />
from malignant suspicious breast<br />
lesions on MRI, according to a study<br />
published in the September issue of the<br />
American Journal of Roentgenology<br />
(AJR).<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9964<br />
Interventional Radiology<br />
Treatment for Uterine Fibroids:<br />
Safe, Nonsurgical<br />
Option<br />
Uterine fibroid embolization--a minimally<br />
invasive interventional radiology<br />
treatment for women that cuts off<br />
blood flow to painful fibroids to kill the<br />
tumors--is highlighted as an appropriate<br />
treatment for women in a Clinical Therapeutics<br />
article in the Aug. 13 issue of<br />
the New England Journal of Medicine.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9960<br />
Pulmonary CT Angiography<br />
Can Effectively Identify<br />
Disease and Injury Beyond<br />
the Pulmonary Arteries and<br />
Throughout the Chest Area<br />
Computed tomography angiography<br />
(CTA) can identify abnormalities and<br />
injury beyond the pulmonary arteries,<br />
including broken bones and heart disease,<br />
according to a study published in<br />
the September issue of the American<br />
Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9963<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Intelerad Receives FDA Clearance for its<br />
PET/CT Image Fusion Module<br />
Intelerad Medical Systems, a PACS solution vendor, has received<br />
510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration<br />
(FDA) to market and distribute its PET/CT Image Fusion<br />
product. This 510(k) clearance ensures that the PET/CT<br />
Image Fusion functionality can now be sold as a fully integrated<br />
module within Intelerad’s signature IntelePACS solution.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9971<br />
Radiation Therapy Use Rates Far Lower<br />
Than 90 Percent<br />
Actual utilization rates for radiation therapy equipment used<br />
in freestanding cancer treatment centers are closer to the current<br />
assumed rate of 50 percent, not 90 percent as proposed<br />
by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in<br />
the Medicare physician fee schedule proposed rule for 2010.<br />
The actual rates were revealed in a new survey <strong>com</strong>missioned<br />
by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9961<br />
Medicare Demonstrates That Paying for<br />
Quality Pays Off<br />
Demonstrations being conducted by the Centers for Medicare<br />
& Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to provide strong evidence<br />
that offering financial incentives for improving or de-<br />
livering high quality care increases quality and can reduce the<br />
growth in Medicare expenditures.<br />
CMS announced new results from three of these demonstrations,<br />
one for large physician practices, one for small and<br />
solo physician practices, and one for hospitals. CMS is also<br />
announcing the start of three additional value based purchasing<br />
demonstrations.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9959<br />
Life Expectancy at All Time High<br />
U.S. life expectancy reached nearly 78 years (77.9), and the<br />
age-adjusted death rate dropped to 760.3 deaths per 100,000<br />
population, both records, according to the latest mortality<br />
statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br />
(CDC).<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9968<br />
Aspirin Use After Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis<br />
Associated With Improved Survival<br />
Men and women who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer<br />
and began regular use of aspirin had a lower risk of overall<br />
and colorectal cancer death <strong>com</strong>pared to patients not using aspirin,<br />
according to a study in the August 12 issue of JAMA.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9888<br />
Workstations<br />
that adapt to you<br />
1.800.663.3412<br />
www.afcindustries.<strong>com</strong>/dm<br />
Solution creators for working environments<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 15
16<br />
Coming in<br />
October<br />
Industry Sector<br />
Reports:<br />
Medical<br />
Equipment Parts<br />
Providers<br />
Find out why these businesses are<br />
a huge part of the industry.<br />
Linear<br />
Accelerator,<br />
Simulator<br />
Our report will take you straight to<br />
the latest news on this sector.<br />
Anesthesia<br />
Find out what’s sensational in<br />
anesthesia.<br />
Injectors<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> injects the October issue<br />
with the latest news about this<br />
segment.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
MOVIng UP In A dOWn<br />
ECOnOMy<br />
Sorting through mail upon returning from vacation,<br />
I found a letter from a friend in real estate - these<br />
are usually mass mailings. Still, I admired her<br />
willingness to persevere in a difficult market.<br />
Imagine my surprise upon opening her letter to<br />
discover it was not about buying or selling my<br />
property. It was about expanding her business in<br />
a down market. She offered an open house for<br />
those interested in a career in real estate with<br />
her agency. In a market that is at its lowest point<br />
in almost 40 years she’s bucking the trend and<br />
Wayne<br />
Webster<br />
expanding — attacking the market! Are you proceeding in the same<br />
way in your imaging business?<br />
When the economy was good, imaging facilities were adding<br />
equipment and approaching higher risk markets with little analysis<br />
or future growth projections. They just knew it would work if they<br />
worked hard. In a down economy and a fear of business expansion,<br />
I find the same people with the same opportunity level hesitant to<br />
move forward. When I ask why the uncertainty, they ask questions<br />
in turn, such as: “What about ‘Obama Care?’” “What about<br />
reimbursement?” “What about changes in the Stark Law?”<br />
These are unresolved issues and mostly ones over which we have<br />
no control. I say, if you can’t control the out<strong>com</strong>es, move on and<br />
focus on something you can control. Many imaging centers need<br />
to upgrade one or more of their devices. But with the very same<br />
market information they had when the economy was better, today<br />
they’re afraid to take advantage of opportunities to increase their<br />
clinical capabilities, referrals and profit.<br />
If you’ve conducted a careful analysis and it’s obvious you need<br />
to upgrade or add imaging capability and the clinical and financial<br />
payback projections are acceptable, go for it. But, let your new<br />
cautious attitude lead you. Make a specification for what you need.<br />
Don’t just seek out the latest, greatest and usually most costly.<br />
Consider new and pre-owned equipment. More than half the time,<br />
I find my clients get more performance than they’ve specified<br />
with pre-owned and frequently at less than half the price of new<br />
equipment. Reimbursement isn’t any higher when the equipment is<br />
new or costs more.<br />
If buying used equipment, even if it meets or exceeds your needs<br />
frightens you, then hire someone who can help you through the<br />
process. The few dollars spent to learn about the evaluation of<br />
buyer need and seller capability may save you as much as 80% on<br />
your purchase when <strong>com</strong>pared to new.<br />
There will always be diagnostic imaging demand. The question is,<br />
can your imaging business meet the demand clinically and profitably?<br />
Pre-owned equipment can be a major part of the solution.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10002<br />
Wayne Webster is a consultant in Medical Imaging Business<br />
Development. You can send your <strong>com</strong>ments or questions to<br />
W.Webster@Proactics.net.<br />
FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Watch This Space<br />
For the Biggest News in<br />
Sourcing Parts.<br />
Ever.<br />
The <strong>DOTmed</strong> Certified Parts Vendor Program.<br />
Coming in October.
CareFusion Prepares for<br />
Spin-Off<br />
CareFusion Corporation, the <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
that will be<strong>com</strong>e public following the<br />
planned spinoff of Cardinal Health’s<br />
clinical and medical products businesses,<br />
recently launched its new brand<br />
and logo. CareFusion’s planned spinoff<br />
from Cardinal Health is expected to be<br />
<strong>com</strong>pleted this summer.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9736<br />
Philips and Glygenix<br />
Therapeutics Partner on<br />
Ultrasound Research<br />
Royal Philips Electronics and GlyGenix<br />
Therapeutics, Inc. have announced a<br />
joint research agreement to explore the<br />
feasibility of using ultrasound technologies<br />
for gene therapy.<br />
In particular, the collaboration will<br />
research the treatment of Glycogen<br />
Storage Disease Type 1a (GSD-1a) in<br />
pre-clinical studies. The collaboration<br />
unites Philips’ expertise in medical imaging<br />
technologies for diagnosis and<br />
minimally-invasive medical procedures<br />
with GlyGenix’s expertise in correcting<br />
the genetic defect in GSD-1a.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9819<br />
18<br />
people & <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Abbott Will Receive $400<br />
Million Settlement from<br />
Medtronic<br />
Abbott has announced a settlement with<br />
Medtronic resolving all outstanding intellectual<br />
property litigation between<br />
the two parties. The terms of the settlement<br />
include a payment of $400 million<br />
to Abbott by Medtronic and a mutual<br />
agreement not to pursue additional litigation<br />
on current and future vascular<br />
products, subject to specific conditions<br />
and time limits.<br />
Additional terms of the agreement<br />
were not disclosed.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9759<br />
Cambridge Consultant<br />
Names Mark Manasas Manager<br />
of Surgical & Interventional<br />
Products Group<br />
Cambridge Consultants recently announced<br />
that Mark Manasas has been<br />
appointed Manager of the Surgical &<br />
Interventional Products Group out of the<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany’s Cambridge, MA office. He has<br />
held other positions at Cambridge Consultants,<br />
and worked at leading MedTech<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies including Johnson & Johnson<br />
to startups like Fossa Medical, Inc.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9749<br />
Dr. Francis Collins Confirmed<br />
as Director of the<br />
National Institutes of Health<br />
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced<br />
today that the United States<br />
Senate unanimously confirmed Dr.<br />
Francis Collins as the next Director of<br />
the National Institutes of Health.<br />
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., a<br />
physician-geneticist noted for his landmark<br />
discoveries of disease genes and<br />
his leadership of the Human Genome<br />
Project, served as Director of the National<br />
Human Genome Research Institute<br />
(NHGRI) at the National Institutes<br />
of Health from 1993-2008.<br />
Dr. Collins received a B.S. in<br />
Chemistry from the University of Vir-<br />
ginia, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry<br />
from Yale University, and an M.D. with<br />
Honors from the University of North<br />
Carolina. Prior to <strong>com</strong>ing to NIH in<br />
1993, he spent nine years on the faculty<br />
of the University of Michigan, where<br />
he was an investigator at the Howard<br />
Hughes Medical Institute. He has been<br />
elected to the Institute of Medicine and<br />
the National Academy of Sciences and<br />
was awarded the Presidential Medal of<br />
Freedom in November 2007.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9861<br />
AGA Medical Holdings,<br />
Inc. Patent for Atrial Septal<br />
Defects (ASD) and Patent<br />
Foramen Ovale (PFO) Valid<br />
AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. (AGA)<br />
has announced a U.K. court determined<br />
that an AGA-held patent for its Atrial<br />
Septal Defects (ASD) and Patent Foramen<br />
Ovale (PFO) devices is valid. The<br />
U.K. court however did determine that<br />
Occlutech GmbH’s (Occlutech) products<br />
do not infringe on AGA’s patent, as<br />
AGA has contended.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9795<br />
CDRH Director Steps Down<br />
Stephen J. Ubl, president and CEO of<br />
the Advanced Medical Technology Association<br />
(AdvaMed), issued the following<br />
statement after the announcement<br />
that Daniel Schultz is resigning<br />
as director of FDA’s Center for Devices<br />
and Radiological Health:<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
“Dan Schultz served the nation for<br />
more than 30 years promoting and protecting<br />
the public health as a member of<br />
the U.S. Public Health Service. Dan supervised<br />
FDA’s device center at time of<br />
unprecedented scientific advancement<br />
and helped continue U.S. leadership in<br />
the development of safe and effective<br />
medical treatments.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9884<br />
Digisonics Announces Record<br />
Revenues for FY ‘09.<br />
Digisonics, provider of image management<br />
& reporting solutions, has announced<br />
that revenue grew 21% for FY<br />
‘09 ending July 31, 2009.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9794<br />
DMS Health Technologies<br />
Signs Three-Year Agreement<br />
With Amerinet<br />
DMS Health Technologies, a national<br />
mobile diagnostic imaging service provider,<br />
announces that it has signed a<br />
three-year agreement with Amerinet,<br />
a national group purchasing organization.<br />
DMS Health Technologies will<br />
provide Amerinet members with mobile<br />
diagnostic imaging shared services and<br />
interim rentals of mobile imaging products.<br />
The three-year agreement, effective<br />
August 1, 2009, includes MRI, CT,<br />
PET/CT, nuclear medicine, ultrasound,<br />
cardiac/angio, bone densitometry and<br />
digital mammography services.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9851<br />
Piedmont Physicians<br />
Group at Cascade Wel<strong>com</strong>es<br />
New Physician<br />
Piedmont Physicians at Cascade wel<strong>com</strong>ed<br />
Signe H. O’Neale, M.D., to its<br />
health care team on Aug. 3. She joins<br />
Marc J. Harrigan, M.D.<br />
Dr. O’Neale received her bachelor’s<br />
degree in accounting from the University<br />
of Washington and practiced as a<br />
certified public accountant for 12 years.<br />
She earned her medical degree from<br />
Morehouse School of Medicine here in<br />
Atlanta. Dr. O’Neale then <strong>com</strong>pleted<br />
her internship and family medicine residency<br />
at Morehouse School of Medicine,<br />
where she also served as chief resident.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9854<br />
AHRA and Toshiba Partner<br />
Patient safety and quality care continue<br />
to be important issues for hospitals and<br />
imaging centers. To help these facilities<br />
start new or build upon existing programs,<br />
AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging<br />
Management announces the second<br />
year of its Putting Patients First grant program.<br />
Putting Patients First grants will<br />
further efforts by healthcare facilities to<br />
improve imaging quality and safety for<br />
patients. This year the program has been<br />
expanded to include imaging centers and<br />
will award three additional grants specifically<br />
for pediatric programs. Putting Patients<br />
First is funded by an unrestricted<br />
educational grant from Toshiba America<br />
Medical Systems, Inc.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9865<br />
NMPI Launches Fifth<br />
Portable Cardiology Unit<br />
Nuclear Medicine Professionals, Inc.<br />
(NMPI) announces the acquisition and<br />
launch of its fifth portable nuclear camera.<br />
This means the size of NMPI’s fleet<br />
of mobile cardiac imaging units has increased<br />
40 percent in 2009 alone.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9822<br />
UCLA Opens Lab Space to<br />
Startup MediSens Wireless<br />
The UCLA on-campus technology<br />
incubator program at the California<br />
NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is providing<br />
laboratory space to MediSens<br />
Wireless, a new <strong>com</strong>pany that makes<br />
personal body-monitoring systems for<br />
health care.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9874<br />
DMS Health Technologies<br />
Appoints Simer as Account<br />
Executive<br />
DMS Health Technologies, a diagnostic<br />
imaging services provider, is pleased to announce<br />
the addition of a Jeffrey Simer as<br />
account executive. As an account executive,<br />
Simer is responsible to direct all sales<br />
efforts for DMS Health Technologies’ diagnostic<br />
imaging services, including mobile,<br />
interim and fixed-site solutions within<br />
his assigned territory of Texas, Oklahoma,<br />
Arkansas, and Louisiana.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9882<br />
NovaRad Nets PACS Contract<br />
With Utah Hospital<br />
Blue Mountain Hospital a <strong>com</strong>munity<br />
hospital in Blanding, Utah, recently<br />
selected NovaRad’s web-based PACS,<br />
NovaPACS, for its radiology department.<br />
This latest contract brings NovaRad’s<br />
installations in Utah to 18.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9871<br />
Mammography Sales Put a<br />
Dent in Hologic’s Earnings<br />
Hologic Inc., maker of diagnostics,<br />
medical imaging systems and surgical<br />
products for women, announced its fiscal<br />
third-quarter results on Monday for<br />
the quarter ending June 27.<br />
The <strong>com</strong>pany said profits fell 3<br />
percent as cutbacks in purchases at hospitals<br />
hurt sales of its Selenia digital<br />
mammography systems. The <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
regards its performance as “solid” in<br />
a challenging market characterized by<br />
reduced capital spending by health care<br />
organizations.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9817<br />
MedPro Imaging Scores<br />
87 Percent Sales Revenue<br />
Increase in Second Quarter<br />
MedPro Imaging, a premium provider<br />
of new and refurbished ultrasound solutions,<br />
reported an 87 percent increase in<br />
sales revenues for the second quarter of<br />
2009 <strong>com</strong>pared to Q2 2008. The growth<br />
was supported by the sale of more than 90<br />
new and used systems to a wide variety of<br />
clinical settings, including the Lung and<br />
Asthma Center of Central Washington.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9797<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 19
20<br />
Light at the<br />
end of the<br />
tunnel:<br />
MRI<br />
PULLS<br />
ThROUgh<br />
By Kathy F. Mahdoubi<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Many manufacturers<br />
and end users of MRIs<br />
have been on a conveyer<br />
belt of reduced<br />
profitability for a few<br />
years now as a result of the Deficit Reduction<br />
Act (DRA) and ongoing economic<br />
instability. National MRI sales have plummeted<br />
this year and more reimbursement<br />
cuts could be in store, keeping widespread<br />
capital budgets on ice, but not all is doom<br />
and gloom. MRI is still a leading source<br />
of revenue in hospitals and imaging centers<br />
across the country, advanced 3T systems<br />
and niche technologies like open<br />
and upright MRI scanners are continuing<br />
to sell and the independent service business<br />
is holding strong. Growing trends<br />
like non-contrast imaging, MR scanning<br />
for dementia, and intraoperative and interventional<br />
MRI are emerging applications<br />
worth getting excited about.<br />
Stark statistics for<br />
manufacturers<br />
NEMA, the association for electrical<br />
and medical imaging manufacturers,<br />
reports periodic sales statistics to its<br />
members. The association reported that<br />
the MRI market as a whole declined by<br />
9% last year, says Joel Urick, MR product<br />
manager for Toshiba.<br />
That statistic is mild <strong>com</strong>pared to<br />
year-to-date market numbers. NEMA<br />
reported that through the second quarter<br />
2009, the overall MRI market was down<br />
40%, says Stephen Mitchell, senior director<br />
of Philips’ MR Imaging Systems.<br />
“The biggest factor has been the<br />
economic crash of late 2008,” says<br />
Mitchell. “That has basically put a lot of<br />
imaging projects on hold.”<br />
“In 2003, MRI sales were approaching<br />
1,200 units a year,” says Hitachi Medical<br />
Systems’ vice president and general<br />
manager of MR and CT, Sheldon Schaffer.<br />
“In 2009, the best estimate in annual<br />
sales from a unit volume perspective will<br />
probably be around 700 MRI units. There<br />
has been a significant decline.”<br />
In addition to the economy, the<br />
DRA’s impact on the imaging industry<br />
has been far and wide, but the freestanding<br />
MRI industry has been hit especially<br />
hard. The intent of the DRA imaging cuts<br />
were to slow the rapid growth of Centers<br />
for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) bill-<br />
ing for imaging services <strong>com</strong>ing from<br />
practicing physicians and freestanding<br />
imaging in the early 2000s.<br />
“You saw a great increase in billing<br />
in the years 2000 to 2006,” says Cynthia<br />
Moran, assistant executive director<br />
for the American College of Radiology<br />
(ACR) Government Relations and Economic<br />
Policy Department. “Imaging<br />
services were the fastest growing <strong>com</strong>ponent<br />
of Medicare spending at that<br />
time, but since the DRA, this growth<br />
rate has flattened out.”<br />
The DRA led to cuts in the Medicare<br />
Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)<br />
and Hospital Outpatient Prospective<br />
Payment System (HOPPS), which had<br />
the effect of slashing reimbursement for<br />
MRI procedures anywhere from 20% to<br />
30%, and perhaps even 40%, some analysts<br />
say. “That is not an unreasonable<br />
estimate,” says Moran.<br />
The Medicare Payment Advisory<br />
Commission (MedPAC) has now advised<br />
CMS to increase the imaging<br />
industry’s utilization rate from 50% to<br />
90%. If passed, the new relative value<br />
formula would effectively act as an additional<br />
cut in reimbursement, but some<br />
think that this modality may be spared,<br />
because “the DRA has already taken<br />
such a bite out of MRI,” says Moran.<br />
Established in 1981, the Center for<br />
Diagnostic Imaging (CDI) was one of the<br />
first freestanding imaging centers in the<br />
country and is now a network of providers<br />
practicing in 50 imaging centers nationwide.<br />
CEO, Bob Baumgartner, says<br />
that MRI is still the primary revenue provider<br />
for the network. Not only have the<br />
economy and reimbursement cuts had an<br />
impact, but the credit crisis has affected<br />
the viability of the MRI industry.<br />
“The credit crisis has made it difficult<br />
for imaging providers to sell their<br />
practices or finance acquisitions,” says<br />
Baumgartner. From the patient perspective,<br />
Baumgartner is also seeing higher<br />
deductible co-pays and more patients<br />
delaying services, especially for discretionary<br />
musculoskeletal imaging, such as<br />
MRI scans for generalized back pain.<br />
Optimism prevails for some<br />
hospitals<br />
Clinical Radiologists, S.C., is a large radiology<br />
group headquartered in Spring-<br />
field, Ill. Dr. Craig Russo is vice chairman<br />
of radiology at Memorial Medical<br />
Center, the largest hospital within the<br />
group, which includes more than 50 radiologists<br />
and operates in 20 hospitals and<br />
over 30 outpatient and stand-alone clinics<br />
throughout the Midwest. The group<br />
interprets exams from over 30 MRI scanners,<br />
with the majority of them being GE<br />
and Siemens 1.5T systems.<br />
Unlike some other <strong>com</strong>munities,<br />
Springfield has a thriving medical <strong>com</strong>munity<br />
and the economic downturn<br />
and threat of health care reform have<br />
not dampened their technological investment.<br />
“The hospitals here have<br />
been investing quite vigorously in MRI<br />
lately,” says Dr. Russo. “This is a fairly<br />
small <strong>com</strong>munity, maybe about 120,000<br />
people - and in the last year we’ve gone<br />
from one 3T magnet to three…This hospital<br />
and this administration in particular,<br />
have looked at it from the standpoint<br />
that now is the time to make the investment<br />
in order to be very well equipped<br />
in the near term as well as long-term.”<br />
One service location recently invested<br />
in the Siemens MAGNETOM Verio<br />
3T. “Clearly, the patient experiences less<br />
claustrophobia and technologically, it’s a<br />
very advanced system,” says Dr. Russo.<br />
“We don’t have to make any sacrifices in<br />
terms of image quality.”<br />
Fonar Upright ® Multi-Position MRI<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 21
Independents large and small are enjoying<br />
an edge over OEMs<br />
MagnaServ, Inc., a leading national parts, service, refurbishing<br />
and mobile MRI organization, and exclusive GE house,<br />
is not experiencing any of the decline that is daunting some<br />
manufacturers.<br />
“Our percent of increase over the last three or four years<br />
has been about 12% to 15% a year and that’s going to continue,”<br />
says MagnaServ executive vice president, Bernie Bartoszek.<br />
OEM service contracts can be anywhere from 20% to<br />
30% higher than MagnaServ’s, says Bartoszek. On the refurbishing<br />
front, the GE Excite series is the biggest seller. One of<br />
these systems would cost from $1.2 to $1.4 million new, but<br />
MagnaServ can offer a reconditioned Excite for half that.<br />
Pricing is not the only reason why the business is growing.<br />
Following the DRA, the <strong>com</strong>pany started changing its customer<br />
base and began positioning itself in order to fare better when<br />
the freestanding imaging sector really took a beating.<br />
“We made a determination three years ago to go from<br />
70% imaging centers and 30% hospitals to 30% imaging centers<br />
and 70% hospitals,” says Bartoszek.<br />
Inside the <strong>com</strong>pany’s reconditioning headquarters in Stuart,<br />
Fla., all engineers have at least 10 years GE field experience<br />
and take <strong>com</strong>mand of MagnaServ’s on-site coil repair depot and<br />
shielded testing bay, which is hooked-up with a working MRI.<br />
A“We’ve got the ability to have nine MRIs hooked up and<br />
running cold and we can have anywhere from five to eight<br />
Medical<br />
Technologies<br />
tlas AMedical<br />
Technologies<br />
tlas<br />
Service that speaks for itself<br />
A tlas<br />
New & Refurbished CT & MRI Scanners<br />
STILL AVAILABLE:<br />
� GE Hispeed, CTI or Lightspeed Multislice Scanners<br />
� Philips/ADAC Cancer Treatment Planning Computers<br />
� Fixed, mobile or modular configuration<br />
� Site planning, shipping and installation<br />
� Applications training for your technologist<br />
� Warranty and continued support<br />
� Parts and X-ray tubes<br />
11801-5 28th Street North,<br />
St. Petersburg, Florida 33716 USA<br />
www.atlasmedtec.<strong>com</strong><br />
Tel: 727 523 9889<br />
Fax: 727 523 1729<br />
Medical<br />
Technologies<br />
22 <strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Atlas qtr page 2008.indd 1 7/24/08 8:50:50 AM<br />
Toshiba Vantage Titan 1.5T<br />
MRI mobiles that we keep cold for various <strong>com</strong>panies,” says<br />
Bartoszek.<br />
Another repositioning tactic has been to be<strong>com</strong>e a Siemens<br />
multi-vendor partner for GE equipment. Bartoszek explains<br />
that other OEMs can bid for service contracts on not<br />
just their equipment, but all the imaging equipment on site, no<br />
matter the manufacturer. Once they get a contract, OEMs like<br />
Siemens can subcontract GE service out to independents like<br />
MagnaServ.<br />
New service on the block<br />
Thomas Hineman is president of Ohio Valley Medical Systems,<br />
LLC, an exclusive Hitachi service organization working mostly<br />
with outpatient imaging centers nationwide. MRI represents<br />
about 95% of business for the <strong>com</strong>pany, which just reached its<br />
one-year anniversary in August. Outpatient imaging centers may<br />
be suffering, but Ohio Valley has experienced a banner year.<br />
“The state of the economy is helping us tremendously,”<br />
says Hineman. “Customers are unable to afford manufacturer<br />
service contracts and in the last three months we’ve grown dramatically<br />
-- I’ve tripled what I estimated when I started the business.<br />
We’re probably going to expand and hire at least two more<br />
people this year. We couldn’t be happier about our growth.”<br />
The Hitachi Airis and Altair families have been among<br />
the best selling units, and up until now, 1.5 Tesla systems were<br />
the ceiling, but Ohio Valley may be expanding into Siemens<br />
territory soon with a contract on a 3T system, a sector of the<br />
market that not many servicers have penetrated yet.<br />
These success stories stand out against the majority of ISOs<br />
surveyed. Most reported steady business with no significant<br />
growth, but also no real decline.<br />
“It’s been slower than normal and we’re working twice as<br />
hard to get the same results, but by the same token – customers<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
OI SERVICE.<br />
WE MAJOR IN<br />
MAGNETS.<br />
Oxford Instruments MRI Service — OI Service:<br />
������������������<br />
��������������������<br />
��������������<br />
��������������<br />
����������������<br />
������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������������������<br />
Oxford Instruments:<br />
The name inside the magnet.<br />
For more information call 732-850-9323<br />
or email: mriservice@oxinst.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.oxford-instruments.<strong>com</strong>/mri<br />
Go to YouTube: Search “OXINST” —<br />
Learn about our 50 years of innovation!
see you’re working that much harder for them and<br />
they’ll stay with you when times are tough,” says<br />
Leon Gugel, president of Metropolis International,<br />
a stocking dealer of Hitachi, GE and Toshiba used<br />
and refurbished MRI systems.<br />
Jesse Roche, director of BioMagnetics, Ltd.,<br />
a northeastern regional MRI service and refurbishing<br />
organization for GE and Siemens MR<br />
systems, is concerned that the proposed MedPAC<br />
changes could lead to a lot more than just a cut in<br />
reimbursement, including fewer operating imaging<br />
centers, longer scanning hours, more demand<br />
for after-hours services, and not just <strong>com</strong>petitive,<br />
but aggressive pricing of service contracts.<br />
“When the market contracts, OEMs be<strong>com</strong>e<br />
revenue-pressed and much more <strong>com</strong>petitive,”<br />
says Roche. “When that occurs, their pricing latitude<br />
expands.”<br />
Bartoszek says that GE has indeed lowered the<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany’s service contract price points by double<br />
digits, but they still do not <strong>com</strong>e near ISO prices. Still, OEMs are<br />
developing their refurbish and service sectors and are keeping a<br />
sharp eye on opportunities.<br />
“As soon as contracts are about to expire, OEMs are keenly<br />
aware and a salesperson is immediately at the door trying to<br />
capture that contract,” says Roche.<br />
24<br />
YOU KNOW KNOW “THE KIT”,<br />
NOW YOU KNOW KNOW THE NAME! NAME!<br />
Superior<br />
Quality:<br />
Using only the highest<br />
grade of Titanium for<br />
tool production (6AL-4V).<br />
Stop By<br />
Our Booth at<br />
the RSNA Show!<br />
Hall B, Booth #8940<br />
Call 800-445-8242 or go online:<br />
www.imprex.net<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Recognized<br />
Recognized<br />
as the the<br />
world’s world’s first first<br />
provider provider of<br />
Titanium Titanium<br />
tools, tools,<br />
Imprex Imprex<br />
remains remains<br />
the the world’s world’s<br />
foremost foremost<br />
Titanium Titanium<br />
tool tool source. source.<br />
Comprehensive<br />
Selection:<br />
Specialized kits for MRI,<br />
NMR & Biomedical<br />
Applications<br />
Hitachi Echelon 1.5T<br />
Trophy MRI: OEMs’ latest and strongest<br />
selling<br />
“The high field Titan is our newest product with a large bore<br />
technology. With the Titan, we also offer the Pianissimo quiet<br />
vacuum-packed gradients and Atlas integrated coil technology,”<br />
says Toshiba’s Urick.<br />
The Titan is a high field 1.5 Tesla system, with the largest<br />
bore on the market, with a 71-cm aperture opening and a<br />
current list price of $1.7 million. Pianissimo gradients reduce<br />
acoustic noise by 90% and the Atlas integrated coil technology<br />
allows multiple coils to be used simultaneously. You can do a<br />
head scan, a cervical scan and an angio scan all at once. Toshiba<br />
also offers upgrades from their Vantage line up through the<br />
Titan. Customers can purchase used systems and enjoy significant<br />
cost savings in construction.<br />
No one is talking, but Toshiba is purportedly working on<br />
a 3T system for release in the not too distant future, a sign of<br />
financial health for the <strong>com</strong>pany’s MRI business, which grew<br />
by 12% in 2008.<br />
“Even in a down market, we’re finding ways to make<br />
sales and sustain growth,” says Urick.<br />
Like many other <strong>com</strong>panies, Toshiba started out with a<br />
customer base that was largely <strong>com</strong>prised of outpatient and<br />
independent imaging centers, but in recent years, the <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
has been moving more into hospitals and now considers hospitals<br />
the <strong>com</strong>pany’s primary customer base.<br />
For Hitachi Medical Systems, the breadwinning products<br />
include the Oasis open high-field 1.2T system and the Echelon,<br />
which is a traditional high-field 1.5T system.<br />
“The Oasis has higher sales volume than the Echelon, but<br />
both sell very strongly,” says Schaffer.<br />
The Oasis’ open design is more <strong>com</strong>fortable for geriatric patients<br />
and the obese, as well as children, and they are <strong>com</strong>parable<br />
in image quality to traditional 1.5T systems. Oasis was introduced<br />
in 2008 and over the past few months, Hitachi has been in discussions<br />
with a number of pediatric hospitals. Currently, 35 Oasis<br />
systems are in operation and Schaffer estimates that open systems<br />
represent about 30% of the overall MRI install base.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Philips Panorama High<br />
Field Open (HFO) 1.5T<br />
Hitachi offers Phased Array technology<br />
and additional RF channels to<br />
improve signal-to-noise ratio. Currently,<br />
the Oasis has an 8-channel system<br />
and the Echelon is available in both an<br />
8 and 16 channel configuration.<br />
“We’ve added additional coils for<br />
specific applications such as breast im-<br />
26<br />
got parts?<br />
A.C.M.I. is your 1st choice for pre-owned<br />
MRI, CT and X-ray parts!<br />
All our parts are tested and ready for shipment today.<br />
������������������������������������������������<br />
We are available 24/7 for all your part needs.<br />
A.C.M.I. also has full systems available today.<br />
��������������������������������<br />
������������������<br />
�����������������<br />
��������������������<br />
������������������������<br />
www.acmiparts.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
aging and cardiac imaging as well as orthopedic<br />
applications,” says Schaffer.<br />
Philips Healthcare introduced the<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany's state-of-the-art Achieva TX<br />
3T system at RSNA last year. “What the<br />
3T TX <strong>com</strong>pact short-bore system does<br />
is it brings multi-channel transmit coil<br />
technology to the <strong>com</strong>mercial market-<br />
place,” says Mitchell. The key benefit<br />
of having MultiTransmit is it reduces<br />
the imaging artifacts that are often seen<br />
in high-field 3T images, most notably in<br />
breast, liver and pelvic imaging.<br />
Philips offers optimized software<br />
packages for a wide range of procedures,<br />
including neuro, vascular, musculoskeletal<br />
and other imaging. The<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany also offers the Panorama High<br />
Field Open MR scanner.<br />
“With an open system, you can get<br />
the specific anatomy that you want to<br />
scan in to the sweet spot of the magnet—<br />
the isocenter, which is something you<br />
can’t do on very large patients with traditional<br />
closed systems,” says Mitchell.<br />
Philips’ Achieva XR can be installed<br />
as a 1.5T system and upgraded<br />
to a 3T system easily and cost effectively.<br />
“We’re the only <strong>com</strong>pany that has<br />
a rampable 1.5T system,” says Mitchell.<br />
“With the Achieva XR we simply<br />
ramp the magnet from 1.5T to 3T field<br />
strength and replace the surface coils<br />
with 3T surface coils and the whole<br />
process takes about a week. In terms of<br />
cost savings, you would save between<br />
$750,000 and $1 million dollars in the<br />
process <strong>com</strong>pared to a deinstall and reinstall<br />
project.”<br />
Philips is currently involved in<br />
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound<br />
clinical trials for uterine fibroid ablations<br />
guided by MRI and both Philips<br />
and Siemens are in the research and development<br />
phase of 7 Tesla systems.<br />
GE Healthcare’s Discovery MR<br />
750 3T system was launched almost a<br />
year ago, and is the highest performing<br />
system in the industry in terms of magnet<br />
homogeneity as well as gradient and<br />
receive chain performance, says Jim<br />
Davis, vice president and general manager<br />
of the MR business.<br />
GE also recently launched the MR<br />
450, a brand new 1.5T system sharing<br />
<strong>com</strong>mon architecture with the 3T. Davis<br />
says it features the highest fidelity gradient<br />
amplifier in the industry and the<br />
system offers an expansive field of view<br />
and a 32-channel receive chain configuration<br />
with Optic RX -- a way to digitize<br />
the signal in the scan room that significantly<br />
increases SNR. GE has also developed<br />
Cube sequences that allow users<br />
to scan in 3-D. Advanced software<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
applications include SWAN, designed<br />
for stroke and perfusion imaging.<br />
Dynamic MRI<br />
Since the 2001 introduction of the Fonar<br />
UPRIGHT Multi-Position MRI,<br />
several studies have concluded that a<br />
variety of pathologies, especially those<br />
pertaining to the spine, are better visualized<br />
when patients are scanned in<br />
dynamic weight-bearing positions and<br />
not just lying flat. The Fonar Upright<br />
MRI allows patients to be scanned in a<br />
number of positions, including recumbent,<br />
bending, sitting, and standing.<br />
It has been shown to provide unique<br />
views of not just the spine, but also the<br />
pelvic floor, hernias and the prostate,<br />
or any part of the anatomy that can be<br />
influenced by weight or position.<br />
“The Upright MRI is a paradigm<br />
shift in scanning patients,” notes Art<br />
Brady, Fonar’s account manager. “It sees<br />
the <strong>com</strong>plete picture, for example, of the<br />
spine’s pathology in all positions it occupies,<br />
not just a ‘snapshot’ in one position.<br />
The conventional MRI visualizes the<br />
spine in only one position, lying down<br />
with the patient’s body weight removed.<br />
That is the least informative position. It<br />
is essential that doctors see the spine in<br />
the upright weight-bearing positions, including<br />
flexion (bending forward), and<br />
extension (bending backward).”<br />
Fonar has an illustrious history in<br />
the MRI industry. The <strong>com</strong>pany founder,<br />
Dr. Raymond Damadian, introduced the<br />
concept of the whole-body MRI scanner<br />
in the late 1960s, back when it was<br />
dubbed Nuclear Magnetic Resonance<br />
(NMR). He discovered the abnormal<br />
MRI signal produced by cancer tissue<br />
and the signal differences among normal<br />
tissues in 1970, and filed the first<br />
patent in 1972. The first scan of a live<br />
human being was achieved in 1977, and<br />
in 1980 Fonar installed the first <strong>com</strong>mercial<br />
MRI scanner.<br />
The Upright MRI is proving beneficial<br />
in visualizing a plethora of pathologies.<br />
A study of 553 patients by UCLA,<br />
and published in the March 2008 Spine<br />
Journal, concluded that a significant increase<br />
in the degree of lumbar disc herniation<br />
was found by examining flexion<br />
and extension views, when <strong>com</strong>pared<br />
with neutral views alone.<br />
The Upright MRI system features a<br />
magnetic field strength of 0.6 Tesla, but<br />
the images are on par with those made<br />
at 1.5 Tesla, due in part to the use of its<br />
coil technology which includes both<br />
planar and solenoidal coils.<br />
The Upright could be especially<br />
beneficial for scoliosis patients and allows<br />
them to avoid harmful X-ray radiation.<br />
Fonar’s specialized scoliosis<br />
software and coils are currently being<br />
field-tested and may provide a cost<strong>com</strong>petitive<br />
and radiation-free imaging<br />
alternative to X-ray. Upright scoliosis<br />
exams take about 10 minutes and provide<br />
coronal, sagittal and axial views<br />
of the spine with 3-D acquisition and<br />
curved multi-planar reconstruction.<br />
“Having the most <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
imaging can improve diagnosis and surgical<br />
out<strong>com</strong>es, which can reduce medical<br />
costs dramatically,” says Daniel Culver,<br />
Fonar director of <strong>com</strong>munications.<br />
“We have customers who have 1.5T<br />
and 3T MRIs and the Fonar Upright MRI,<br />
and we are told that it is much easier to<br />
What’s The Right Price For This Imaging Equipment?<br />
Call Your Bay Shore Specialist – And Know For Sure.<br />
JOHN KOLLEGGER: MRI Sales<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 120<br />
LISA MURPHY: PET/Nuclear Medicine Sales<br />
(Except Adac, Siemens, Digirad)<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 110<br />
GARY MIDGEN: PET/Nuclear Medicine Sales<br />
(Nuc Med: Adac, Siemens, Digirad,<br />
Bone Densitometers, Treadmills)<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 160<br />
DON TIEDEMANN: MRI Sales<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 250<br />
PHIL EBEL: X-Ray Sales: C-Arms, Rad & R/F,<br />
Mammo, Cath & Angio Labs, CR, Portable X-Rays<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 310<br />
1-800-471-1189<br />
www.bayshore-medical.<strong>com</strong><br />
CARL WALDHEIM: CT Sales (GE & Elscint)<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 320<br />
COLLEEN RHATIGAN: CT Sales<br />
(Siemens, Marconi, Picker, Toshiba, etc)<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 260<br />
SUSAN BOZINOS: Ultrasound Sales,<br />
Laser Cameras, Processors<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 360<br />
YOLANDA PENA: South America Sales<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 300<br />
INDU CHAUHAN: Asia Sales<br />
(800) 471- 1189 EXT. 140<br />
VIVIANE HELLEBUYCK : Europe/Africa Sales<br />
(800) 471-1189 EXT. 390<br />
We are the largest buyers & sellers of<br />
Pre-Owned Imaging Equipment in the U.S.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 27
grow the business of the Upright MRI,” says Culver. “We simply<br />
image the spine better. We can also image patients who can’t<br />
lie down because of COPD or a spine dysfunction. We also image<br />
claustrophobic and obese patients with unparalleled ease.”<br />
Fonar currently has 134 Upright MRI scanners operating<br />
internationally and just recently sold units in Libya, Canada<br />
and Australia.<br />
Non-contrast Imaging<br />
A wave of non-contrast imaging is picking up speed across all the<br />
major manufacturers. New sequences are especially designed to<br />
capture signal without agents, which a significant number of patients<br />
cannot tolerate. Fonar, Toshiba, GE and others offer some<br />
form of non-contrast imaging for select procedures.<br />
“The development of non-contrast imaging has really<br />
been one of the key successes with selling in the U.S. market,”<br />
says Urick.<br />
“Everybody is being responsive to the marketplace demand<br />
for newer non-contrast imaging techniques,” says Davis,<br />
who points out that there is also a cost driver behind the<br />
development. “With or without contrast, your reimbursement<br />
is the same, so it is an added cost.”<br />
MRI on the brain<br />
Dr. Russo is the section head of neuroradiology at the Memorial<br />
Medical Center. He is a proponent of 3T high field strength<br />
28<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Siemens Magnetom ® Verio 3T<br />
systems for brain imaging. “These 3 Tesla systems are not necessarily<br />
the best for everything, but there are clear advantages,<br />
especially for brain imaging applications.”<br />
MR is an excellent modality for neurosurgery due to the high<br />
sensitivity and soft-tissue contrast of its images. Some of the most<br />
striking applications in neurological MRI procedures include diffusion<br />
tensor imaging (DTI), a method of MRI that provides clear<br />
images of neural tracts, and functional MRI, which clearly maps<br />
important regions of the brain by their function.<br />
Superior detection of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease<br />
may be possible with specialized MRI software, like the software<br />
that helped researchers detect Alzheimer’s disease with<br />
100% accuracy in a recent cohort study conducted by Massachusetts<br />
General Hospital. In two separate cohorts, patients<br />
with mild cognitive impairment were also distinguished from<br />
controls with 91% and 95% accuracy. The study, published<br />
in the May 2009 edition of Brain, demonstrated that with the<br />
help of specialized software, MR could be a powerful diagnostic<br />
tool in the accurate detection of Alzheimer’s disease.<br />
“I think it will be huge when it is shown to be very consistent<br />
and reliable,” says Dr. Russo. “I think it will be gigantic. Dementia<br />
imaging is going to be very important in the future and I will<br />
certainly be watching the literature to look for ways to borrow<br />
those ideas and bring that to the <strong>com</strong>munity level.”<br />
MRI in the O/R<br />
MRI’s foray into the brain continues with intraoperative and interventional<br />
MR. IMRIS, a Manitoba, Canada-based manufacturer,<br />
is a leading provider of intraoperative MR systems for neurosurgery.<br />
The IMRISneuro, available in both 1.5T and 3T high<br />
field strengths, is a movable, ceiling-mounted system that can be<br />
brought into the operating room during surgery to map the progress<br />
of procedures including craniotomies — open-skull surgeries<br />
most <strong>com</strong>monly performed for the removal of brain tumors. By<br />
providing up-to-the-minute imaging of targeted areas, intraoperative<br />
MR can help surgeons accurately excise tumors with the least<br />
possible damage to vital surrounding tissues.<br />
“IMRIS is the only <strong>com</strong>pany that provides a solution focusing<br />
solely on optimization of the workflow that surgeons,<br />
nurses and anesthesiologists are familiar with today. We are<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
not changing the standard operating<br />
procedures of neurosurgery,” says Rami<br />
Liebenthal, IMRIS executive vice president<br />
of marketing and sales.<br />
A recent study concluded that tumor<br />
resection is extended in surgery for about<br />
40% of patients as a result of new information<br />
gleaned from intraoperative MR<br />
images, says Liebenthal. This could be<br />
due in part to brain tissue shifting during<br />
surgery. MR is an excellent modality for<br />
neurosurgery due to the high sensitivity<br />
and soft-tissue contrast of its images. By<br />
introducing MR into the O/R, neurosurgeons<br />
are able to more accurately map<br />
not only a potentially more effective or<br />
safer approach to the tumor using DTI,<br />
they can also use functional MRI to steer<br />
clear of critical centers of the brain that,<br />
if damaged, could cause post-surgery<br />
impairments like speech impediments or<br />
abnormal vision or motor sensation.<br />
“Surgeons benefit tremendously<br />
by having the ability to get a fresh set<br />
of images when they need them most<br />
-- prior to the conclusion of surgery. It<br />
gives surgeons a high level of confi-<br />
dence that the work is <strong>com</strong>plete and of<br />
the highest possible quality.”<br />
The IMRISneuro has been installed<br />
or selected for 30 locations internationally,<br />
including top clinics like Massachusetts<br />
General Hospital, Johns Hopkins<br />
and the Mayo Clinic, and can be<br />
custom-configured for the O/R.<br />
“The movable magnet can be configured<br />
to suit the specific needs of the surgical<br />
team in the hospital in either a two<br />
or three room setup,” says Jeanne Elliott,<br />
IMRIS’ director of global sales programs.<br />
IMRIS also manufactures fully<br />
functional surgical tables that double as<br />
MRI tables. Most critical devices, like<br />
patient monitoring systems and anesthesiology<br />
accessories are MR <strong>com</strong>patible<br />
up to 3T, says Liebenthal. Devices like<br />
microscopes and navigation systems<br />
are often not <strong>com</strong>patible and must be<br />
moved outside the magnetic field during<br />
imaging. The IMRISneuro has been<br />
used safely in the treatment of about<br />
2,400 patients globally.<br />
Brain tumor surgery is just the<br />
beginning. Pending FDA clearance,<br />
IMRIS is planning to introduce IM-<br />
RIScardio and IMRISnv, which could<br />
help optimize the workflow of cardiac<br />
intervention and stroke management.<br />
“The volume of [stroke] cases is<br />
significantly higher than in brain tumor<br />
cases,” says Liebenthal. “We can see<br />
how the use of MR-guided intervention<br />
is going to expand dramatically in the<br />
next few years.”<br />
Time is Brain<br />
According to the CDC, stroke is the<br />
third leading cause of death and approximately<br />
795,000 strokes occur in the<br />
U.S. each year. MR may represent a key<br />
time-saving tool in interventional stroke<br />
imaging. IMRISnv, if cleared, could<br />
significantly decrease critical minutes<br />
wasted transporting patients from one<br />
department of the hospital to another.<br />
“The idea is to provide a diagnosis<br />
and treatment environment in the angio<br />
room that will allow a very quick<br />
diagnosis of the stroke by using MR imaging<br />
and a technique called diffusionperfusion<br />
mismatch imaging,” says Lie-<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 29
enthal. “Once it is diagnosed, you can see exactly where the<br />
stroke occurred in the brain while the patient remains on the<br />
treatment bed and the angio system is then used to guide the<br />
treatment procedure. The results can be seen immediately.”<br />
IMRIS holds global patents and just released this year’s<br />
second quarter figures, which show a 20% increase from last<br />
year with $9.8 million in total sales.<br />
“We are showing a very interesting growth trend even in<br />
times of stress with capital budgets being cut or put on hold,”<br />
says Liebenthal. “Even in that environment we are able to grow,<br />
which is a terrific indication of the awareness in the market.”<br />
The number one priority, above all else, is the patient,<br />
says Elliott. The most important driver behind the implementation<br />
of this technology is that it can help provide a high level<br />
of care for patients when they need it most.<br />
MRI moves ahead<br />
No matter how bleak the economic outlook may be, the need<br />
for advanced MRI persists.<br />
“MR has an incredible amount of clinical runway left,”<br />
says Davis. “We’ve untapped at most 30% of what MR can<br />
really do.”<br />
That is the echo from all sectors of the MRI industry, from<br />
manufacturers and service organizations to radiology groups<br />
and hospitals. This nearly 30-year-old modality is seems to<br />
just be getting warmed up.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10004<br />
30<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Philips Achieva 3.0T TX<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Registered MRI Equipment Sales & Service Companies<br />
For convenient links to these <strong>com</strong>panies’ <strong>DOTmed</strong> Services Directory listings, go to www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong> and enter [DM 10004]<br />
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.<br />
Name Company - Domestic City State Certified DM100<br />
Butch Holliday DR Medical Little Rock AZ<br />
Dick Slade BIS Technologies Scottsdale AZ • •<br />
Donald Creedon Global Medical Solutions Scottsdale AZ<br />
George Fower Altair Imaging, LLC Anaheim CA •<br />
James Fower Calscan Medical Enterprises, Inc. Anaheim CA •<br />
Paul DeWinter AEA Technology, Inc. Carlsbad CA<br />
Mazin Faour Variware, Inc. Chino CA<br />
Rick Stockton Atlas Medical Technologies Ontario CA •<br />
Terry Andrues Mobile Interm Solutions Orange CA<br />
Robert Graham Sound Imaging, Inc. San Diego CA •<br />
R.C. Kapoor A & R Investments International San Jose CA<br />
Dan McGuan Viable Med Services, Inc. Santa Clarita CA • •<br />
Sammy Ciling Barrington United, Corp. Temecula CA<br />
Troy Kamphuis Blue Sky Exchange Boulder CO<br />
Chris Ash Scanworks Centennial CO<br />
Bruce Smith Sonora Medical Systems, Inc. Longmont CO •<br />
Bernie Bartoszek MagnaServ, Inc. Parker CO<br />
Brett Chandler Accuro Imaging Ellenton FL<br />
David Denholtz Integrity Medical Systems, Inc. Fort Myers FL • •<br />
Olga De La Paz Puma Export, Inc. Hialeah FL<br />
David Stuart AEL Financial Lake Mary FL<br />
Marlene Alencar FVP Medical Miami FL •<br />
Daniel Pereira Hospital Planet, Inc. Miami FL<br />
Miguel Machuca Diagnostic Medical Equipment Solutions Corp. Miami FL<br />
German Filgueira PODER, Inc. Miami Beach FL •<br />
Dennis Giuzio Mobile Radiology, Inc. New Port Richey FL<br />
Robert Serros, Jr. Amber Diagnostics Orlando FL<br />
Betsy Gordon E.L.V.S. - Equipment Locator Vendor Services Orlando FL • •<br />
Anwar Mithavayani Reliant Medical Pompano Beach FL •<br />
Ray McClellan MRI Technical Services, Inc. Marietta GA<br />
Michael Glynn Mylin Medical Systems, Inc. Burr Ridge IL •<br />
John Pemberton Barrington Medical Imaging, LLC Cary IL<br />
James Gallagher LG Medical Technologies, Inc. East Dundee IL<br />
Dave Johnson Genesis Mobile Partners Huntley IL<br />
Mike Ghazal Zetta Medical Technologies, LLC Lake Zurich IL<br />
Craig Russo Clinical Radiologists, S.C. Springfield IL<br />
Gary Knirr Basic MRI Medical Systems Waterloo IL<br />
William King KING Equipment Services, Inc. Waukegan IL •<br />
Wes Solmos Creative Foam Medical Systems Bremen IN •<br />
Davyn McGuire Med Exchange International, Inc. Agawam MA • •<br />
Jeff Rogers Medical Imaging Resources, Inc. Ann Arbor MI •<br />
Zeina Karaky Cedars Medical Equipment Co. Dearborn MI<br />
Steve Rentz Block Imaging International, Inc. Lansing MI<br />
Christi Kukes DMS Health Technologies Fargo ND<br />
Alison Fortin Global Inventory Management, LLC Dover NH<br />
Robert Manetta Nationwide Imaging Services Brick NJ • •<br />
Joseph Jenkins International Imaging Ltd. Las Vegas NV<br />
Leon Gugel Metropolis International Long Island City NY • •<br />
Dan Culver Fonar Melville NY<br />
John Kollegger Bay Shore Medical, LLC Ronkonkoma NY •<br />
Jeff Weiss Atlantis Worldwide, LLC Yonkers NY<br />
Thomas Hineman Ohio Valley Medical Systems, LLC North Canton OH<br />
Sheldon Schaffer Hitachi Medical Systems America Twinsburg OH<br />
Don Salyer InSight Health Corp. Utica OH •<br />
Michael Profeta Magnetic Resonance Technologies Willoughby OH •<br />
Adam Brazeal Imaging 100 Tulsa OK<br />
Jesse Roche BioMagnetics, Ltd. Exton PA •<br />
Vincent Tecce National MRI Parts & Service Morrisville PA<br />
Trey McIntyre International Medical Equipment and Service, Inc. Fort Mill SC • •<br />
Debbie van der Touw Radiology OneSource Franklin TN • •<br />
Gary Casey A.C.M.I. Goodlettsville TN<br />
Lee Kelly AAN Radiology Systems, Inc. Canyon Lake TX •<br />
Marshall Shannon Image Technology Consulting, LLC DeSoto TX • •<br />
John Bolte MEDFAB MRI Services, LLC San Antonio TX<br />
Larry Knight Sunrise Medical Technology, Inc. Waxahachie TX •<br />
Cliff Hess Texas Medical Mobile Services Waxahachie TX<br />
Curtis Hagg Vivid Imaging Yorktown VA<br />
Paul Zahn Shared Medical Equipment Group, LLC Cottage Grove WI • •<br />
LeRoy Blawat Resonant Diagnostics, LLC Milwaukee WI •<br />
Name Company – International City Country Certified DM100<br />
Gustavo Juarez Macor Insumos Hospitalarios Capital Federal Argentina<br />
Himanshu Gupta EverX Pty Ltd Sydney Australia • •<br />
David Lapenat ANDA Medical, Inc. Ottawa Canada • •<br />
Rami Liebenthal IMRIS Winnipeg Canada<br />
Song Wang Shen Zhen Allright Medical Co., Ltd. Shen Zhen China<br />
Cesar Raul Cuervo Medica Y Computadores Bogota Columbia<br />
Abdelrahim Khalil Besisc Cairo Egypt<br />
Florian Dickopp Medicopex GmbH Oberasbach Germany •<br />
Paranjothi Arumugam Garudon Medical System Coimbatore India<br />
Deepak Arora Advanced Scan Support Technologies Faridabad India<br />
Bippon Gupta Masters Medical Equipments Pvt Ltd New Delhi India<br />
Rami Marom ElsMed Ltd & Relaxation, Inc. Holon Israel • •<br />
Borhan Kalash Memco Damascus Syria<br />
Frank Noyen Global MRI Support Sariyer Istanbul Turkey<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 31
NEW<br />
PRODUCT<br />
SHOWCASE<br />
Philips Introduces FullLife<br />
Royal Philips Electronics recently announced<br />
the introduction of the Full-<br />
Life full-face mask for the treatment<br />
of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This<br />
revolutionary mask covers both the<br />
nose and mouth, while being <strong>com</strong>pact<br />
and offering a clear line of sight for<br />
patients. The mask is being launched<br />
first in the U.S., followed by Canada; a<br />
global launch is planned for this month.<br />
“The FullLife mask is built on<br />
the same platform as our successful<br />
OptiLife mask, which was introduced<br />
in 2007,” said Gretchen Jezerc, director,<br />
U.S. Marketing, Sleep Disordered<br />
Breathing, Philips Home Healthcare<br />
Solutions. “With a minimalist design<br />
and lightweight, durable materials, Full-<br />
Life provides <strong>com</strong>fort and convenience<br />
for patients. Among its features, a clear<br />
line of sight benefits patients who feel<br />
claustrophobic, and an integrated exhalation<br />
port makes it exceptionally quiet<br />
for patients and their bed partners.”<br />
With one faceplate for all three sizes<br />
(small, medium, and large)-as well as<br />
FitPack and DuoPack fitting and supply<br />
replacement options-FullLife also is a<br />
good choice for clinicians and homecare<br />
providers.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9829<br />
32<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
FujiFilm’s New Digital<br />
X-Ray System Designed to<br />
Eliminate Barriers to Digital<br />
Adoption<br />
Designed to eliminate any existing barriers<br />
to the adoption of digital X-ray, the<br />
FCR Prima digital X-ray system from<br />
FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc.<br />
is now available. Created specifically to<br />
meet the X-ray needs of low volume private<br />
practices, the Fuji Computed Radiography<br />
(FCR) Prima <strong>com</strong>es <strong>com</strong>plete<br />
with a <strong>com</strong>pact CR reader, an electronic<br />
viewing workstation, and an archiving<br />
system, enabling facilities to quickly<br />
and easily transition to a softcopy imaging<br />
environment.<br />
“We recognize that the majority of<br />
private practice facilities have workflow<br />
and budgetary needs that are very different<br />
from our hospital-based customers,”<br />
said Eddie Massetti, Fujifilm’s marketing<br />
manager for specialty markets. “So<br />
Fujifilm designed the FCR Prima to ac<strong>com</strong>modate<br />
these needs for lower volume<br />
private practices while still delivering<br />
the exceptional image quality that<br />
we are known for and that physicians<br />
and their patients expect. Over the next<br />
twelve months we anticipate seeing a<br />
rapid increase in the adoption of digital<br />
X-ray in practices specifically where<br />
digital was never before an option as<br />
a result of this product introduction,”<br />
continued Massetti.<br />
The FCR Prima is a <strong>com</strong>plete image<br />
acquisition-to-archive solution that<br />
provides private practices with the image<br />
quality they need in a <strong>com</strong>pact size<br />
ideal for their office space, and all delivered<br />
at an economical price point that<br />
many practices have been waiting for. It<br />
is packaged with the FCRView, which<br />
<strong>com</strong>bines an innovative softcopy viewing<br />
system and <strong>com</strong>prehensive digital<br />
To see more<br />
products, visit<br />
www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
Have a new product?<br />
Send your press<br />
release to<br />
pr@dotmed.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
archive system so facilities can initiate<br />
and preview exposures, process and<br />
print studies, and back up patient data<br />
all from one workstation. And with the<br />
new FCRView Client Workstation software,<br />
image viewing is enabled on up to<br />
four additional workstations within the<br />
practice. All the functionality <strong>com</strong>es in a<br />
<strong>com</strong>pact size of just 23.6 W x 15.7 D x<br />
30.7 H, making it the smallest footprint<br />
of any available <strong>com</strong>petitive system.<br />
Easy to fit in any office space, including<br />
exams rooms, the FCR Prima is also remarkably<br />
lighter than Fujifilm’s current<br />
system, weighing nearly 30 percent less.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9723<br />
Carestream Health Now<br />
Shipping Its New DRX-1<br />
System<br />
Shipments of the industry’s first wireless,<br />
cassette-size digital radiography<br />
(DR) detector are now underway as<br />
planned and on schedule.<br />
Health care organizations around<br />
the world began placing orders several<br />
months ago for the innovative CARE-<br />
STREAM DRX-1 System, which is de-<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
signed for general radiology, trauma, orthopedic<br />
and many other X-ray exams.<br />
“Customer response to our innovative<br />
wireless detector has been outstanding-and<br />
our manufacturing, distribution<br />
and support teams are in full swing,”<br />
said Diana L. Nole, President, Digital<br />
Medical Solutions, Carestream Health.<br />
“Health care providers are very interested<br />
in this system as it offers an extremely<br />
attractive option for facilities that want to<br />
improve productivity and image quality<br />
in existing film or CR rooms, but may<br />
not have funds available for larger scale<br />
equipment replacement.”<br />
The DRX-1 system incorporates a<br />
console and a wireless, cassette-sized<br />
DR detector that provides a rapid, affordable<br />
conversion for users of radiographic<br />
film or <strong>com</strong>puted radiography<br />
systems. It requires no modifications<br />
to existing analog equipment-which results<br />
in very low installation costs-and a<br />
healthcare facility can utilize one detector<br />
for many types of exams.<br />
The DRX-1 system incorporates<br />
the same innovative software and image<br />
processing capability as Carestream<br />
Health’s CR and DR systems, and delivers<br />
the same excellent image quality and<br />
productivity as these proven platforms.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9474<br />
Stryker introduces the<br />
Crossfire Integrated Arthroscopy<br />
Resection System<br />
Stryker Endoscopy introduces the first<br />
and only integrated arthroscopy resec-<br />
tion system, Crossfire. This hybrid<br />
platform has the ability to operate both<br />
motor and RF functionality in one<br />
console. The Crossfire console and<br />
footswitch control SERFAS Energy<br />
probes and the Formula® Shaver System,<br />
eliminating the need for multiple<br />
consoles. Crossfire offers revolutionary<br />
resection capability in one <strong>com</strong>plete<br />
arthroscopy solution.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9934<br />
PDS NeuroPET Introduced<br />
at SNM Annual Meeting<br />
PhotoDetection Systems (PDS) has introduced<br />
its high-sensitivity NeuroPET<br />
scanner, which was featured in an oral<br />
presentation to the SNM molecular imaging<br />
<strong>com</strong>munity.<br />
The NeuroPET has been designed<br />
to serve the clinical and research needs<br />
of the molecular neuro-imaging <strong>com</strong>munity,<br />
and it has recently received<br />
FDA 510(k) clearance. NeuroPET’s<br />
state-of-the-art, patented wavelengthshifting<br />
fiber technology enables ultra<br />
high-sensitivity and excellent spatial<br />
resolution. Its <strong>com</strong>pact/portable design<br />
requires no special site preparation and<br />
allows for significantly reduced cost of<br />
ownership <strong>com</strong>pared to general-purpose<br />
PET scanners. NeuroPET uses very low<br />
doses of 18F and 11C tracers to image<br />
metabolism, amyloid, and dopaminergic<br />
binding in neurological diseases.<br />
These tracers are known to be helpful<br />
in imaging challenging and costly<br />
diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Neurooncology,<br />
Epilepsy, Parkinson’s and<br />
Neuro-psychiatric disorders. NeuroPET<br />
can <strong>com</strong>plement existing clinical and<br />
research efforts with high quality, low<br />
cost neuro-imaging capacity and its ul-<br />
tra high-sensitivity performance can allow<br />
for more frequent repeat low dose<br />
scanning of the same subject to monitor<br />
response to therapy.<br />
“Our strong development team is<br />
fortunate to be working with excellent<br />
collaborators and we are very enthusiastic<br />
about the NeuroPET’s measured capabilities,<br />
its accessible utility, and the<br />
positive reception we have received at<br />
the SNM meeting,” stated Bill Worstell,<br />
PhD, PDS Chief Technology Officer.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9454<br />
SpectraSan 24 - 24 Hour<br />
Disinfectant that kills<br />
influenza A (H1N1)<br />
SpectraSan 24 is a hard-surface, fastacting<br />
disinfectant highly effective in<br />
killing the various types of Influenza A.<br />
It is 100% biodegradable, safe, and is the<br />
only registered disinfectant assigned the<br />
lowest toxicity rating (IV) by the EPA.<br />
SpectraSan 24 is strong enough for use<br />
in medical facilities, restaurants, health<br />
clubs, and because it is safe, is ideal<br />
for use in areas frequented by children,<br />
such as daycare centers and schools.<br />
SpectaSan 24 represents the first<br />
truly new and groundbreaking approach<br />
to microbial control in nearly 40 years.<br />
It’s based on a new patented molecule<br />
called Silver Dihydrogen Citrate, or<br />
SDC. SDC is an electrolitically generated<br />
source of stabilized ionic silver<br />
that, when formulated as a disinfectant,<br />
is powerful yet safe, colorless, odorless<br />
and non-staining.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm9842<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 33
Could a Foreign Currency Replace the US<br />
dollar as the World Reserve?<br />
The American dollar could<br />
be replaced as the World<br />
Reserve currency by a <strong>com</strong>bined<br />
currency from Brazil,<br />
Russia, India or China, collectively<br />
as the BRICs. These countries<br />
have large economies and are outgrowing<br />
their emerging-market status. So<br />
will they replace the American dollar,<br />
and if so, when does this happen?<br />
There are four currencies involved<br />
in BRIC - the Chinese Yuan, the Brazilian<br />
Real, the Russian Ruble and the<br />
Indian Rupee. Though these countries<br />
could possibly create a <strong>com</strong>mon currency,<br />
similar to the Euro, this would be<br />
difficult to ac<strong>com</strong>plish. If you doubt this,<br />
try to imagine how an authoritarian Russia<br />
will work with a doctrinarian Communist<br />
China, a Democratic India, and<br />
an unstructured Brazil. The <strong>com</strong>bination<br />
would be hard to see emerging with any<br />
clear Asian-European-Latin American<br />
consensus. Even if the dollar were not replaced<br />
by a BRIC currency, it could still<br />
be swapped out for another currency.<br />
The current advantage to having the<br />
American dollar as the world reserve is<br />
that we have the luxury of borrowing in<br />
our own currency. We can always print<br />
more money, while other countries do<br />
not have the option of influencing the<br />
money supply. But, by having the world<br />
reserve’s currency, our monetary policy<br />
is also <strong>com</strong>promised by other countries<br />
trying to pull the dollar toward their<br />
own currencies.<br />
Overall, BRICs lack the economic<br />
fitness to handle the responsibility of the<br />
world reserve; however, if BRICs start<br />
to talk about replacing the dollar, there<br />
could be a major re-pricing of <strong>com</strong>modities<br />
as investors lose confidence. The<br />
buzz and fear around a possible BRIC<br />
replacement for the dollar has more to<br />
do with a political and economic power<br />
struggle than with getting a stronger<br />
currency as the world reserve. The<br />
BRICs have to threaten the possibility<br />
if they want to be taken more seriously<br />
and seen as real economic powerhouses<br />
on the world’s economic stage.<br />
The BRIC countries will likely pursue<br />
the replacement of the dollar as the<br />
reserve currency. However, this is not<br />
the same as saying they will achieve it.<br />
The likelihood is that they will not. This<br />
is largely because of economic and political<br />
limits to the BRIC countries.<br />
The challenge for BRIC is to reproduce<br />
the once solid stability of the<br />
American dollar and not to emulate the<br />
relatively tarnished Euro. More challenging<br />
is how BRIC will replace the<br />
dollar without debasing the significant<br />
dollar reserves and dollar-denominated<br />
investments of those countries, and<br />
without harming the still delicate U.S.<br />
economy, and without hammering the<br />
many futures markets that are based<br />
upon <strong>com</strong>mon U.S. pricing.<br />
Of the four BRIC currencies, perhaps<br />
China’s Yuan is a logical replacement<br />
for the dollar at some point, since<br />
China has been lending the US money.<br />
China is better placed than the U.S. to<br />
provide a reserve currency for the 21st<br />
century because it has a large current account<br />
surplus, focused government, and<br />
few of the economic worries the U.S.<br />
money<br />
health<br />
By Paul Keough, Ph.D., MBA<br />
faces. While such a major change is<br />
some way off, the Chinese government<br />
is laying the ground for the Yuan’s positioning.<br />
China will soon want to see the<br />
Yuan included in the International Monetary<br />
Fund’s special drawing rights basket,<br />
as well as seeing the Yuan used as a<br />
means of payment in bilateral trade.<br />
China’s currency is a long way<br />
from overtaking the dollar as the world<br />
currency, and even if that occurred,<br />
there likely would be some intermediate<br />
steps. At the present time, China<br />
manages its currency too closely to be<br />
a world currency. The good thing about<br />
China’s currency right now is that its<br />
management techniques keep the currency<br />
undervalued and its purchasing<br />
power much higher than other countries<br />
that are more freely traded. With<br />
China’s Yuan pegged to the dollar, an<br />
emerging conflicted country’s currency<br />
is unlikely to replace America’s monetary<br />
unit anytime soon.<br />
In conclusion, a possible BRICs<br />
takeover of the world reserve is unlikely<br />
to happen soon, if at all, with China’s<br />
Yuan as the most likely single currency<br />
to eventually be<strong>com</strong>e the next world<br />
reserve. At the end of the day, whether<br />
or not people agree with U.S. economic<br />
policy, the dollar is still currently the<br />
best selection for the world reserve on<br />
a relative basis.<br />
Paul Keough, PhD, MBA is the<br />
President at Turnkeough Corporation<br />
(www.turnkeough.<strong>com</strong>). You can reach<br />
him at paul.keough@turnkeough.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10005<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 35
Gaylord Texan Resort - Dallas, Texas<br />
September 23-25, 2009<br />
859-523-5701 / www.idnsummit.<strong>com</strong><br />
Jason Hwang, M.D.<br />
Co-Director of the Innosight Institute<br />
Co-Author of The Innovator’s Prescription<br />
Chuck Lauer<br />
Noted Healthcare Leader<br />
Former Publisher, Modern Healthcare<br />
EVENT SPONSORS<br />
BRONZE SPONSORS<br />
STRATEGIC PARTNERS<br />
MEDIA SPONSORS<br />
INNOVATION KEYNOTE SERIES<br />
Marcus Osborne<br />
Senior Director of Business<br />
Development-Healthcare<br />
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.<br />
1
Respiratory therapy is one of the most widely<br />
used medical practices in the health care industry.<br />
Widespread use can translate to big<br />
money. So, naturally, advances in respiratory<br />
equipment occur regularly in respirators, oximeters,<br />
airway pressure monitors, ventilators and other such<br />
equipment. One recent trend finds its influence in mobility<br />
and ease of transport. Manufacturers are creating more<br />
<strong>com</strong>pact machines in order to take up less room in already<br />
crowded operating rooms and other places where space is<br />
at a premium.<br />
One of the leading global providers of health care products,<br />
CareFusion, is <strong>com</strong>ing out with two brand new ventila-<br />
Respiratory<br />
Equipment<br />
Still a Breath of<br />
Fresh Air During<br />
Troubled Times<br />
By Mary Kate Baumann<br />
tors unlike any others currently on the market. As of right<br />
now, the most <strong>com</strong>pact ventilator is their LTV 1200, which<br />
weighs about 14 pounds. Soon, they will be unveiling their<br />
Palm Top Ventilators (PTVs).<br />
The first PTV, the ENVE ventilator, is made and used for<br />
critical care. It is about the size of a tissue box and weighs<br />
approximately eight pounds. According to Kim Zipse of<br />
CareFusion, “the new PTVs have four-hour swappable batteries<br />
where, if a change of battery is needed, an internal one<br />
takes over so that respiratory therapy can continue without<br />
disruption.” Providing an uninterrupted service is especially<br />
important given that respiratory ventilation is key in life or<br />
death situations.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 37
38<br />
Refurbished patient-ready, Puritan<br />
Bennett C41A Liquid Oxygen<br />
Reservoirs at Frontier Medical<br />
The second series of PTVs that<br />
CareFusion is introducing is called the<br />
Revel. The Revel is a ventilator system<br />
designed for long-term care, ambulatory<br />
and airlift use. Also weighing about<br />
eight pounds, it is small and lightweight<br />
while maintaining a high level of functionality.<br />
For the most part, the Revel’s<br />
production is geared towards transport,<br />
making it useful for a number of situations<br />
such as military field use.<br />
In the past, patients needing oxygen<br />
at home have used a machine called<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
a concentrator that relies on an electric<br />
power source and is about the size of<br />
a mini-fridge. Ken Johnston of Delta<br />
Technology, Inc., a provider of portable<br />
travel oxygen systems and accessories,<br />
says that under the current Medicaid reimbursement<br />
policies, “Durable Medical<br />
Equipment Companies (DMEs) are<br />
required to supply eighteen months<br />
worth of concentrated oxygen.” After<br />
that time, it’s up to the DMEs to determine<br />
if they will continue to provide the<br />
services and at what costs. The DMEs<br />
provide an oxygen-concentrator “that<br />
weighs upwards of forty-five pounds<br />
which they consider portable,” says<br />
Johnston. In order to leave home, patients<br />
would need to carry the system<br />
requiring an amount of effort difficult<br />
even for healthy individuals. Since patients<br />
will naturally find this inconvenient,<br />
they will look for more viable options,<br />
like Delta Technology’s portable<br />
travel oxygen systems or CareFusion’s<br />
PTVs. These concentrators are less than<br />
ten pounds and can run on batteries or<br />
house current.<br />
Respiratory therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation<br />
(PR) in particular, available<br />
to those suffering from Chronic Respiratory<br />
Disease, is currently provided in<br />
outpatient facilities. At the facility, the<br />
patient is provided with appropriate<br />
training, as well as a much clearer understanding<br />
of, and the ability to cope<br />
with their lung disease. Pulmonary rehabilitation<br />
also provides personalized<br />
advice that sets the patient up with a<br />
life-long exercise routine. Additionally,<br />
if something were to go wrong – a ventilator<br />
malfunction, for example – the<br />
patient would have ready access to a<br />
health care provider.<br />
Because respiratory therapy equipment<br />
is not only used in hospitals and<br />
ambulances but also in homes, preventative<br />
and precautionary measures must<br />
be taken in order to ensure patient safety<br />
and <strong>com</strong>fort. Like any piece of technology,<br />
things can go wrong. Technological<br />
advancements are being made every<br />
day in order to help patients in need of<br />
immediate assistance. In fact, the development<br />
and integration of remote care<br />
telemedicine, to help those patients who<br />
live far from any health care facility, is<br />
underway.<br />
Telemedicine, according to the<br />
American Telemedicine Association<br />
(ATA), is the “use of medical information<br />
exchanged from one site to another<br />
via electronic <strong>com</strong>munications to improve<br />
patients’ health status.” The electronic<br />
<strong>com</strong>munication being used is a<br />
telemonitoring system and most recently,<br />
a live feed between patient homes<br />
and health care facilities in the event of<br />
a malfunction. According to the ATA,<br />
“Closely associated with telemedicine<br />
is the term ‘telehealth,’ which is often<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
used to en<strong>com</strong>pass a broader definition of remote healthcare<br />
that does not always involve clinical services. Videoconferencing,<br />
transmission of still images, e-health including patient<br />
portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical<br />
education and nursing call centers are all considered part of<br />
telemedicine and telehealth.”<br />
Remote care and telemedicine provide care in cases where<br />
a patient is miles away from a health care facility. In many<br />
instances, patients don’t have a way of getting to the facility<br />
for immediate help. Instead of a nurse traveling the distance<br />
to help the patient when they are in need, telemedicine and<br />
Delta Technology Res-Q-Air Waterproof<br />
Sports/Emergency Oxygen System<br />
remote care can enable the patient to get the help they need<br />
through the use of monitors and step-by-step direction. Telemedicine<br />
and telehealth allow health care providers to, on a<br />
daily basis, monitor the patient and make real-time decisions<br />
with regards to the care of their patient. Remote monitoring of<br />
ventilators, for instance, can lead to stable symptom management,<br />
improved healthy behaviors, and follow-through with<br />
treatments.<br />
By providing telemedicine, more respiratory patients will<br />
be able to receive the help and education they need in order to<br />
maintain healthier lifestyles while dealing with their disease.<br />
A more thorough integration of telemedicine and remote<br />
patient care for the future is not far on the horizon. In terms of<br />
the future of respiratory therapy, many <strong>com</strong>panies are striving<br />
to create closed-loop ventilators – ventilators that will monitor<br />
breathing and will respond automatically if a problem occurs.<br />
It is believed that new developments will be made in the future<br />
for long-term respiratory patients. “There is a greater demand<br />
for products and people to continue to improve the quality of<br />
life for long term ventilator patients in the home,” says Bill<br />
Rosas of Midwest Biomedical Recourses.<br />
Currently, the biggest challenges facing the respiratory industry<br />
are finance and economic recovery. The demand for respiratory<br />
products is very strong, yet the industry faces the issue<br />
of how customers are going to pay for equipment. The economic<br />
downturn has “made refurbished products more attractive to<br />
buyers both in the domestic and international markets,” says<br />
John Wittenberg of Inventory Solutions, Inc. He adds, “Buyers<br />
are seeing that they can get excellent quality and warranties as<br />
well as discounted prices from reputable resellers.”<br />
Judy Engle, RRT/RCPT and owner of Frontier Medical<br />
adds, “Every market is different, but the economy has slowed<br />
down and put a hold on purchasing new equipment due mostly<br />
to lack of budget.”<br />
With advancements constantly being made in respiratory<br />
technology, today’s new respiratory equipment can run anywhere<br />
from $10,000 to $14,000. In the refurbished market,<br />
equipment can be as much as 50% less expensive. John Wittenberg<br />
says, “The main thing is that the refurbished equipment<br />
industry is be<strong>com</strong>ing more mature; people know they can<br />
get really high quality equipment that <strong>com</strong>es with paperwork<br />
indicating it will last. It changes the face of the industry.”<br />
Inventory Solutions, Inc. specializes in the sale of refurbished<br />
respiratory equipment like ventilators, Pulse Oximeters,<br />
Sleep Products, Concentrators, Patient Monitors, Phototherapy,<br />
Apnea Monitors and Liquid Oxygen. He adds, “We<br />
don’t look at one particular product selling. If someone needs<br />
something, we want to have it patient-ready and on the shelf in<br />
order to get our product to them quickly.”<br />
It seems that despite the downward turn of the economy,<br />
the respiratory equipment sector is doing well. However, as a<br />
result of Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement cutbacks and adjustments,<br />
changes will occur. Ken Johnston told <strong>DOTmed</strong>,<br />
“Right now, in home oxygen delivery, reimbursement systems<br />
in Medicare/Medicaid are about $140 plus per month and $70<br />
per month for portable oxygen.”<br />
The LTV 1200 from CareFusion;<br />
critical care anywhere<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 39
According to Carl Willoughby,<br />
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Director<br />
of Mad River Community Hospital,<br />
“CMS (Medicare) has been reducing<br />
the reimbursement to Durable Medical<br />
Equipment providers over the past<br />
40<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
The LTV<br />
1200 from<br />
CareFusion;<br />
portable<br />
high utility<br />
ventilation<br />
decade.” As a result, reimbursement<br />
levels may not allow DMEs to provide<br />
the new technology to the very patients<br />
who need it, which Willoughby says is<br />
“an unintended result of the government<br />
trying to save money.”<br />
In addition, <strong>com</strong>petitive bidding<br />
for providing outpatient oxygen services<br />
has been legislated into place.<br />
Willoughby says, “This will drive all<br />
the small and medium <strong>com</strong>panies out<br />
of business leaving only one or two<br />
mega oxygen <strong>com</strong>panies standing.”<br />
Some believe this <strong>com</strong>petitive bidding<br />
will ultimately result in no <strong>com</strong>petition<br />
and more incentive to provide only the<br />
cheapest, low-tech equipment, again a<br />
disservice to the patients who need upto-date<br />
care.<br />
The respiratory industry, large as it<br />
is, seems to be focusing most of its improvements<br />
in downsizing their equipment.<br />
The current state of the economy<br />
hasn’t affected the industry much because<br />
there will always be a need for respiratory<br />
machinery. With the daunting<br />
health care reforms on the horizon, the<br />
state of independent supplier organizations<br />
<strong>com</strong>es into question. However,<br />
for the time being, even though the<br />
health care providers’ demand for new<br />
equipment may not be high at this time,<br />
refurbished respiratory equipment can<br />
offer ‘good-as-new’ stock at affordable<br />
prices, giving facilities and patients a<br />
reason to breathe easy.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10006<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Registered Respiratory Equipment Sales & Service Companies<br />
For convenient links to these <strong>com</strong>panies’ <strong>DOTmed</strong> Services Directory listings, go to www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong> and enter [DM 10006]<br />
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.<br />
Name Company - Domestic City State Certified DM100<br />
Susan Nelson Air Lift & CareFore Medical Evergreen CO<br />
Judy Engle Frontier Medical, Inc. Wheat Ridge CO •<br />
Del Tillman American Telemedicine Association Washington DC<br />
Ken Johnston Delta Technology, Inc. Gainesville GA<br />
Chris Bridges Colossus Medical Grayson GA<br />
Bill Rosas Midwest Biomedical Resources, Inc. Mokena IL<br />
Jerry Riley DRE, Inc. Louisville KY<br />
Ana Ortega General Biomedical Service, Inc. Kenner LA<br />
Asif Bhinder tekyard Burnsville MN<br />
Kim Zipse CareFusion Minneapolis MN<br />
Don Grimm Bemes, Inc. Fenton MO • •<br />
Paul Fau First American Medical Equipment Mount Laurel NJ<br />
Ray Carter Hospital Equipment 4U Salisbury NC •<br />
John Wittenberg Inventory Solutions, Inc. New York NY •<br />
George Rebitski Predictable Surgical Cincinnati OH<br />
Mark Brinkerhoff Marco Systems Stow OH<br />
David Zobeck Lancaster General College of Lancaster PA<br />
Nursing and Health Sciences<br />
Nelson Shertzer Medical Support Products, Inc. Lancaster PA •<br />
Chad Looney Canyon Drive Sales Amarillo TX •<br />
Rick Weekley US Med-Equip Houston TX •<br />
Juan Sandoval Monterrey Medical Equipment, Inc. San Antonio TX<br />
Jake Mathews Impact Biomedical The Woodlands TX<br />
Bill Murdock VIP Medical, Inc. Alexandria VA<br />
Name Company – International City Country Certified DM100<br />
Argie Valenzuela Mideast Medical Equipment Manila Philippines<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Medical<br />
Chillers By<br />
The chiller industry as a<br />
whole has been floundering<br />
for a while now, but that’s<br />
mainly because the demand<br />
for industrial chillers and<br />
those used for the <strong>com</strong>puter tech and automobile<br />
sectors has dropped along with<br />
their industries. However, there is one<br />
area where chiller sales are still doing<br />
well - the medical chiller sector.<br />
“For us, from September last year<br />
we just had a steep drop-off in sales [as a<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany] and then in January we started<br />
seeing sales return. We’re not where<br />
we were last year, but we have orders on<br />
the book,” says Chris King, Vice Presi-<br />
dent for KR Products Inc. “With all the<br />
baby boomers <strong>com</strong>ing along, we need<br />
more and more medical equipment so it<br />
has stayed steady for us.”<br />
Although they may not be the first<br />
thing that hospitals think about when<br />
setting up shop, hospital equipment<br />
such as MRIs, CT Scans and X-rays<br />
won’t function unless they have a chiller.<br />
So as long as OEMs continue to turn<br />
out equipment, there will be a market<br />
for chillers.<br />
“The medical chiller market tends<br />
to mirror the major diagnostic equipment<br />
market, so right now, business is<br />
fairly steady,” says Bob Freudenberger,<br />
Keith Loria<br />
VP of Ellis & Watts.<br />
Basically, a chiller is like an air<br />
conditioner. Since most major medical<br />
devices generate heat while in operation,<br />
the chilled water generated by the<br />
chillers is the solution to dissipate the<br />
heat that is produced. The difference is<br />
you are removing heat from the fluid<br />
and not the air.<br />
“Each chiller provides a defined<br />
flow rate and temperature drop specification,”<br />
says Freudenberger. “Some<br />
have optional city water bypass valve<br />
systems to allow operation of the medical<br />
equipment, even during a time of<br />
service or failure of the chiller system.”<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 41
42<br />
Dimplex Thermal<br />
Solutions custom,<br />
automatic switch-over<br />
panel, designed to<br />
allow for back-up fluid<br />
supplies, extra filtering<br />
and flow measurement<br />
Industry experts estimate a price range for new chillers to be<br />
in the $8,000 to $50,000 range, and the pricing depends on the<br />
size, modality and the assortment of add-ons a chiller can have.<br />
Challenges Abound<br />
Despite a steady market in medical chillers, there are still difficult<br />
circumstances the industry has been dealing with over<br />
the past year.<br />
Martin King, President of Legacy Chillers, calls a recent<br />
phenomenon, “the new normal.” “A lot of decision makers<br />
can’t see what business will be like in six to eight months,”<br />
King says. “And we are finding out about projects very close<br />
to when they are needed, instead of a year ahead of time.”<br />
Freudenberger has seen lesser chillers brought to market,<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
which he feels is hurting the industry.<br />
“The influx of lower priced, foreign built chillers has<br />
eroded the overall reliability of chillers, as a whole,” he says.<br />
“With today’s tighter budgets, it is more difficult to sell quality-built<br />
products.”<br />
Working with the OEMs<br />
Regardless of the OEM, they each have special applications for<br />
the large-scale image equipment that needs to be kept cool.<br />
“We have gone through working with major manufacturers,<br />
taking care of their specific needs for temperature flows,<br />
and customizing a market just for them,” says Kim Bernard,<br />
Sales Application Engineer for Dimplex Thermal Solutions<br />
(DTS), which manufactures chillers under the Koolant Koolers<br />
and Schreiber Chillers brands. “As long-time suppliers for<br />
medical OEMs such as GE, Philips and Siemens, our experience<br />
provides deep insight into medical OEM requirements.”<br />
For every brand of medical equipment, a specific chiller<br />
is needed as they all have their own thermal profile and accessories<br />
that can impact the amount of heat that needs to be dealt<br />
with. Chiller manufacturers therefore must have the proper<br />
specs for each.<br />
“With most of the major MRI OEMs—Philips, GE, Hitachi—we<br />
already have pre-designed for those applications so<br />
we can move pretty quickly when we need to,” Legacy’s King<br />
says. “For manufacturers, being very nimble in this market is<br />
the only way to survive.”<br />
It was only about one year ago that Toshiba would package<br />
chillers in with their sales, but they decided to get out of<br />
the chiller business. A <strong>com</strong>pany like GE is still packaging a<br />
chiller for their MRI as part of the sale, but savvy customers<br />
are starting to price shop.<br />
“They are buying the equipment but<br />
are shopping around for the chiller applications,<br />
because they realize they can get<br />
a better deal,” says King. “It’s a trend we<br />
are seeing in the market because money is<br />
tight out there.”<br />
Bells and Whistles<br />
While almost all chillers have a condensing<br />
unit, recirculation pump, reservoir, temperature<br />
controller and pressure gauge as standard<br />
features, add-ons can include things<br />
such as a remote temperature sensor or remote<br />
start/stop and temperature alarm.<br />
“Our philosophy is to keep as many<br />
bells and whistles off as we can,” says Chris<br />
King. “Take a doctor’s office. You can give<br />
him a chiller that shows him all the fault<br />
lights—no water flow, high pressure limit<br />
switches, over temperature—and it’s fine if<br />
he sees a blinking light, but what’s he going<br />
to do about it? They can make it more difficult<br />
to work on because you may know what<br />
the problem is but then you have to work on<br />
the electrical level or get special parts.”<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Problem Solving<br />
Chillers are not immune to problems, although a great number<br />
can be prevented with a proper preventative maintenance<br />
program.<br />
“The chiller has motors in it and every motor no matter<br />
what it’s on has a given life expectancy and the pumps,<br />
<strong>com</strong>pressors and fans can wear out after a specified amount<br />
of time. You need to be aware of those expectancies and offer<br />
maintenance programs letting them know they are approaching<br />
that time,” Bernard says. “So before the breakdown, we<br />
will schedule a replacement so there are no emergencies.”<br />
One of the most <strong>com</strong>mon problems is customers who<br />
are not using the proper freeze protection, as the chillers will<br />
freeze up from ambient temperature.<br />
“What most people don’t understand about chillers is that<br />
they can freeze water on themselves,” Chris King says. “A lot<br />
of people ignore that freeze protection –something malfunctions<br />
or water goes off—and they can be ruined.”<br />
Another problem associated with chillers is contamination<br />
of the heat transfer solution with tap water, which can cause<br />
internal choking of the heat exchanger coils. Other problems<br />
include refrigerants running low, filters getting clogged, dust<br />
and dirt build-up and pumps breaking down.<br />
“If you have no water treatment you can get bacteria and<br />
it can clog the MRI’s heat exchanger system,” Bernard says.<br />
“You need proper filtering and water treatment. We re<strong>com</strong>mend<br />
a twice a year plan where one of our techs <strong>com</strong>es out<br />
and goes through from top to bottom all the parameters, checking<br />
that all electrical fittings are still tight. Those are key and<br />
critical to ensure top performance.”<br />
Legacy’s King adds that upwards of 90% of the problems<br />
you will have with a chiller has to do with the <strong>com</strong>missioning.<br />
Legacy Chillers Systems Package chiller. Designed for Mission<br />
Critical low temp process cooling applications<br />
“What we see is that a chiller will get installed but the installer<br />
doesn’t properly <strong>com</strong>mission it to meet a customer’s requirements,”<br />
he says. “An example would be adding freeze protection.<br />
A lot of chillers have to have glycol. It requires a specific set-up<br />
and for those contractors that don’t know, it can be problematic.”<br />
DTS ensures that a medical facility will never be at risk of<br />
extended shutdown or equipment damage as their chillers are<br />
fail-safe for continuous use.<br />
“We have custom designed redundancies in the system<br />
where there are two independent refrigeration systems so if<br />
there is one in need of repair, the other is still operating,” Bernard<br />
says. “The same thing happens with the fluid delivery and<br />
the pumps. If one goes out, the other immediately takes over.”<br />
But customers don’t need to rely exclusively on a <strong>com</strong>pany’s<br />
PM program. They can personally do a number of things<br />
to help ensure the life of a chiller. Preventative maintenance<br />
starts with be<strong>com</strong>ing educated about the equipment and its immediate<br />
surroundings.<br />
For example, in areas with a high pollen count, it’s important<br />
to clean out the air filters in the machine and vacuum<br />
or wash them and make sure airflow isn’t being impeded.<br />
If you are not able to draw air across your condenser coil,<br />
pressure in your refrigerator system will go up and trip the<br />
system. This will cause the fan to work harder causing it to<br />
most likely burn out.<br />
Standardized lines designed for<br />
use with all brands of medical<br />
imaging equipment.<br />
Custom Options Available<br />
By Dimplex Thermal Solutions<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 43
Refurbishments offer<br />
Economic Solutions<br />
While the equipment the chillers are attached<br />
to may be refurbished, the market<br />
for refurbished chillers has not been<br />
a huge business in years past. That is<br />
changing though, as more <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
are trying to help the customer who is<br />
looking to save some money.<br />
“It is possible to use refurbished<br />
chillers,” offers Tommy Geske, CEO/<br />
Owner of SMTI. “You need to have the<br />
correct specs for the system. If you don’t<br />
match the chiller correctly, the MRI will<br />
not function properly.”<br />
“A true refurbishment should replace<br />
all coils, <strong>com</strong>pressors, valves<br />
and any corroded wiring and electrical<br />
controls,” Freudenberger says. “The refurbished<br />
chiller should be tested to its<br />
original specifications.”<br />
Although Tek-Temp doesn’t sell refurbished<br />
systems per se, they have been<br />
making greater efforts to take those they<br />
have sold to inspect and repair them before<br />
sending them back to the customers<br />
44<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
who own them.<br />
“It goes through a full evaluation<br />
and test in our test bay to find out<br />
what needs to be replaced,” says David<br />
Greenplate, Sales Manager for the <strong>com</strong>pany.<br />
“Is it a whole condensing unit? Or<br />
maybe smaller <strong>com</strong>ponents like a pump<br />
or temperature control? Things like that<br />
we look for when we inspect. We’ll take<br />
care of any problem.”<br />
Because of the economy, the <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
has seen more people interested in<br />
repairing and refurbishing their chillers,<br />
rather than going out to buy new.<br />
Richard Lee of Total Imaging Concepts<br />
also realized that people were interested<br />
in cheaper chiller solutions and<br />
started selling pre-owned chillers after<br />
cleaning them up and making sure they<br />
worked.<br />
“We are finding that chillers have<br />
long life in them. We don’t do any refurbishing,<br />
we find those in good shape<br />
and put them back on the market,” Lee<br />
says. “We have seen a lot of chillers on<br />
sites for 10 to 12 years and when hos-<br />
Quality, Accountability,<br />
Experience, Resources<br />
Regional Support for all Major MRI Scanners<br />
� Safe and Reliable Magnet Field Service<br />
� Expertly Trained Staff / ISO 9001:2008 Certi�ed<br />
� Huge Inventory of New and Refurbished Magnet Parts<br />
� 24-Hour Technical Support<br />
Cryogen / Cold Head / Compressor Specialists<br />
� “Ready to Ship” Inventory<br />
� Fast Helium Delivery and Installation<br />
� Quench Recovery Experts<br />
� Emergency / Off-Hours Service<br />
Magnet Storage Specialists<br />
� 10-Ton Crane for Loading / Unloading<br />
� 24-Hour Monitoring / Climate Controlled<br />
� Mobile and Fixed Magnet Storage<br />
� Helium Level Guarantee<br />
Oxford Instruments - The Name Inside the Magnet<br />
For more information call 732-850-9323<br />
or email: mriservice@oxinst.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.oxford-instruments.<strong>com</strong>/mri<br />
pitals upgrade, we find we can still use<br />
them. I would say 40% of the chillers<br />
we <strong>com</strong>e across are in good shape.”<br />
When dealing with any used or refurbished<br />
chiller <strong>com</strong>pany, customers<br />
should be smart enough to ask if the<br />
chiller was refurbished by its original<br />
manufacturer, what <strong>com</strong>ponents were<br />
replaced with new and who stands behind<br />
the refurbishment warranty.<br />
Environmental Impact<br />
The average MRI unit requires a 30-gallon<br />
per minute flow of water, 24 hours<br />
a day, 365 days a year, all of which<br />
translates to a total of 15.7 million gallons<br />
used per year. The same flow rate<br />
is required even when the unit is at rest,<br />
between patient scans. That’s why a<br />
chiller solution is so valuable.<br />
“Not only is this a large use of natural<br />
resources, but at an average of $5<br />
per 1,000 gallon water and sewer fee,<br />
the operating costs to the facility would<br />
be $75,000 a year,” says Bernard. “We<br />
call attention to this because in most in-<br />
OI Service — Your Complete Magnet, Cold Head and Compressor Professionals<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Tek-Temp Instruments<br />
Family of<br />
Recirculating<br />
Chillers, Heaters,<br />
and Heat<br />
Exchangers<br />
stances this cost is accounted for as simply<br />
overhead—a cost of doing business,<br />
much like a light bill or waste removal<br />
fee. However, it’s powerful information<br />
for the department manager that needs<br />
to justify a capital expenditure, since the<br />
customer can see a return on their investment<br />
in approximately four months,<br />
saving the facility upwards of $50,000 a<br />
year, while helping the environment.”<br />
Using a dedicated chiller also saves<br />
on a facility’s investment in the piece<br />
of medical equipment by eliminating<br />
the scale build-up that occurs with the<br />
mineral deposits and impurities found<br />
within city-water supplies.<br />
“It is also advantageous over a<br />
central fluid cooling system in that the<br />
fluid is dedicated only to that piece of<br />
equipment, thus its temperature and<br />
flow settings are never ruled by other<br />
equipment’s <strong>com</strong>bined needs, allowing<br />
the medical equipment to be used full<br />
time without the concern that over-temp<br />
alarms or low flow faults shutdowns of<br />
that machine, if the full cooling needs<br />
are not always available,” Bernard says.<br />
“This too ensures that fluid impurities<br />
are not carried between multiple pieces<br />
of hospital equipment, which may have<br />
negligible affect on some pieces, while<br />
deeply impacting the operation of another.”<br />
Medical chillers can be nearly as<br />
important as the equipment they are<br />
cooling and when taken care of properly,<br />
can help a medical facility keep<br />
its financial cool through revenue from<br />
machines running at top capacity for a<br />
long period of time.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10007<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Registered Chillers Equipment Sales & Service Companies<br />
For convenient links to these <strong>com</strong>panies’ <strong>DOTmed</strong> Services Directory listings, go to www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong> and enter [DM 10007]<br />
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.<br />
Name Company - Domestic City State Certified DM100<br />
Richard Lee Total Imaging Concepts, Inc. Shreveport LA<br />
Kim Bernard Dimplex Thermal Solutions Kalamazoo MI<br />
Chris King KR Products, Inc. St. Louis MO<br />
Dan Rogowski Parker Domnick Hunter Charlotte NC<br />
Akram Abdelaal Express Systems & Parts Network Aurora OH •<br />
Bob Freudenberger Ellis & Watts Batavia OH<br />
David Greenplate Tek-Temp Instruments, Inc. Croydon PA<br />
Lenny Place Aramark/CTS Bryan TX<br />
John Crownover Laser Scientific Round Rock TX •<br />
Tommy Geske Sunrise Medical Technology, Inc. Waxahachie TX •<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 45
Whether new or used, veterinary equipment<br />
purchases follow the basic economic<br />
principle of supply and demand,<br />
where producer supply matches consumer<br />
demand.<br />
However, it may be that the primary<br />
source of the supply and demand<br />
match point lies with the trained staff<br />
pool itself - namely, in the proportions<br />
of generalist vs. specialist veterinarians<br />
in the U.S. each year. Those in need of<br />
highly-specialized veterinary equipment<br />
are small in number in <strong>com</strong>parison to the<br />
veterinary equipment industry at large.<br />
“[It is] not like there is a large supply<br />
of specialist veterinarians that have<br />
a need for highly specialized equipment.<br />
This is a wide-ranging, but limited mar-<br />
46<br />
Vetting Medical<br />
Equipment<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
ket,” said Dr. Stephen Fisher, DVM,<br />
vice-president of business development<br />
at Veterinary Centers of America (VCA)<br />
Antech, with headquarters in Los Angeles,<br />
CA. VCA is a provider of veterinary<br />
services via VCA animal hospitals<br />
throughout the U.S.<br />
Dr. Fisher works off-site and negotiates<br />
with major veterinary equipment<br />
dealers for VCA Antech. He practiced<br />
as a small animal veterinarian for twenty<br />
years in the mid-70’s to early 90’s, and<br />
eventually owned 10 practices. He sold<br />
these practices to VCA and is currently an<br />
editor of a veterinary business magazine.<br />
“The type of equipment that the veterinary<br />
specialists want is based on the<br />
type of equipment they did their training<br />
on,” Dr. Fisher said. “This is similar to<br />
the demand for medical equipment that<br />
medical specialists have after they’ve<br />
<strong>com</strong>pleted their residencies and opened<br />
or joined a practice.<br />
“If somebody decides, in this economy,<br />
to open a vet specialty practice, they<br />
need to have certain equipment to get<br />
referrals. If they open one now, they’re<br />
going to have to find that equipment to<br />
use. [For example], every year, there are<br />
specialists that graduate who will find a<br />
job within a hospital which is adding a<br />
board-certified surgeon — if that hospital<br />
has the equipment [they need], then<br />
they’re fine. If the venue doesn’t have<br />
the equipment, e.g., ultrasound, those<br />
veterinarians cannot be utilized to per-<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
A Look at Usage for Pets<br />
form services they have the knowledge<br />
to do,” explained Dr. Fisher.<br />
According to Dr. Fisher, the particular<br />
skill sets of each veterinary school<br />
graduating class impacts the supply and<br />
demand of vet equipment sales. “Ultrasound<br />
requires advanced training — it is<br />
very sophisticated equipment that needs<br />
to be in the hands of well-trained and<br />
board-certified doctors,” he noted.<br />
“Independent veterinarians who<br />
work outside of the VCA hospital network<br />
are looking for equipment they<br />
[already] know how to use or is easy to<br />
be trained on, performs well and is easy<br />
to care for,” he observed. In terms of<br />
usage, “a CT is a CT and a MRI is a<br />
MRI,” and such pieces easily adapt to<br />
both human and animal medical diagnostic<br />
needs. In ultrasound, for example,<br />
there are “plenty of pediatric probes<br />
that work really well on animals.”<br />
But there are certain equipment<br />
parts not so easily transferrable from<br />
human to animal applications. “One<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany created a waterproof PET<br />
transmitter for vet use because they saw<br />
the need for it,” said Dr. Fisher, explaining<br />
that in human PET scanners, the<br />
transmitters are not waterproof.<br />
“If there is a real need for vet equipment,<br />
it will be produced. If there’s a<br />
market for it, it gets developed,” Dr.<br />
Fisher noted.<br />
“When veterinarians choose a piece<br />
of equipment, they’ll want to find the best<br />
equipment for that indication: sometimes<br />
it’s used or new. Sometimes, a new treatment<br />
may not be as good as the old one<br />
— and many times the used [equipment]<br />
better fits our needs,” he said.<br />
As for future veterinary equipment<br />
sales, Dr. Fisher sees the market in “imaging<br />
of all kinds — including ultrasound,<br />
digital X-ray, CT, and MRI, for<br />
both new and used equipment.”<br />
OEMs, such as Universal Ultrasound<br />
in Bedford Hills, NY, and Wolf<br />
X-Ray Corporation in Deer Park, NY,<br />
believe that this will be part of the vet<br />
market trend.<br />
“Digital radiography, PACS systems<br />
and teleradiography” are among<br />
the sellers in new vet equipment sales,<br />
wrote Rebecca Owens, RTR, a digital<br />
radiology sales specialist at Universal<br />
Ultrasound.<br />
“In used vet equipment sales, ultrasound<br />
equipment is a popular seller,”<br />
Ms. Owens noted. The <strong>com</strong>pany sells<br />
new ultrasound equipment from $4,000<br />
to $125,000 and digital radiography<br />
equipment from $40,000 to $100,000.<br />
Universal Ultrasounds markets to small<br />
and large animal practices.<br />
“In the vet market, I see diagnostic<br />
imaging as a growth segment,” said<br />
Howard Wolf, president of Wolf X-Ray<br />
Corporation, an 80-year-old family-run<br />
veterinary radiography firm. “Considering<br />
the current malaise of the country,<br />
it will take 12 to 18 months for [this<br />
market] to grow,” he said. His firm is<br />
best known for selling vet radiography,<br />
lead protection and film viewing equipment<br />
— about 80% of his business is<br />
currently in analog form.<br />
There will be “an increase in [demand]<br />
for digital and ultrasound equipment<br />
as they be<strong>com</strong>e more popular,”<br />
Mr. Wolf said. Wolf X-Ray Corp. has<br />
its own R & D unit, which has “developed<br />
a line of conductivity gels, e.g.,<br />
one that can be used on animals to obtain<br />
images through the fur” — this will<br />
be presented at the North American Veterinary<br />
Conference (NAVC) in January.<br />
Wolf X-Ray Corp. sells to university<br />
medical hospitals, private vet practices<br />
and veterinary schools. “On the<br />
East and West coasts, they are far more<br />
progressive in the medical fields,” Mr.<br />
By Regina Geok-Ling Tan<br />
Wolf observed. “A lot of the coastalbased<br />
veterinarians are [converting] to<br />
electronic health records (EHR). The<br />
Midwest is probably 25% less active in<br />
digital [recording].”<br />
On a cost-<strong>com</strong>parison basis for using<br />
EHR, Mr. Wolf said, “[for] a 5-practitioner<br />
facility, it would cost $180,000<br />
to initially set up a digital X-ray system…<br />
if you’re 35 and just starting a<br />
practice and you want to do it right, it’s<br />
probably okay to do it, but, if you’re in<br />
your 50’s and planning on retiring in<br />
five years, you’re better off buying another<br />
machine for five grand.”<br />
“If I was going to give a doctor<br />
advice, I would say, ‘Find a local, fullservice<br />
distributor who is familiar with<br />
a top brand.’ A good, local distributor<br />
gives you assurance of having a good<br />
service contract and maintenance. I’m<br />
a big believer in having a local guy take<br />
care of you,” emphasized Mr. Wolf.<br />
“Diagnostic manufacturers seem to<br />
be doing well,” said Mark Ziller, president<br />
of TW Medical, an ISO in Lago<br />
Vista, TX. And, “Digital X-ray is just<br />
on the upswing, with dental diagnostics<br />
also being a growing segment.”<br />
“Frequently, we deal with veterinarians<br />
that are opening a new<br />
business,” said Mr. Ziller. “On-going<br />
customers will need upgrades and replacements.<br />
We can <strong>com</strong>pletely outfit<br />
a new practice, e.g., autoclaves, surgery<br />
lights, exam and surgery tables, cages,<br />
anesthesia machines, surgical monitoring<br />
equipment, lab equipment, digital<br />
X-rays, CT’s, and MRI’s.”<br />
Among the OEM’s used for TM<br />
Medical’s offerings are Abaxis, Heska,<br />
and Midmark — “representative <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
that cover an important market<br />
segment,” according to Miller.<br />
Mr. Ziller has been in the animal<br />
health industry for 15 years. TW Medi-<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 47
cal sells exclusively to the vet market, with a customer base of<br />
solo practitioners, multi-vet specialty clinics, private practice<br />
groups, and corporate-owned chain practices.<br />
“Different things drive human and animal medical equipment<br />
purchasing [decisions]; [for one], there are no health<br />
care reimbursement issues,” Mr. Ziller said.<br />
“They are pretty discreet markets. If you go back 10 or 12<br />
years, the animal equipment industry was kind of a stepchild<br />
-- human equipment was used to suit animal needs. Now there<br />
is vet-specific equipment that has been adapted and designed<br />
especially for veterinarians, which is sold by OEMs who recognize<br />
animal health as a billion-dollar industry. Not only do pharmaceutical<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies have divisions for animal health, they’re<br />
building products from the ground-up for this industry.”<br />
“Once an office has the core pieces it needs to operate, we<br />
can sit down with them and furnish a ‘wish list’ so they can plan<br />
and upgrade the office on sound financial footing,” noted Mr.<br />
Ziller. “We want to find equipment that has wide applications,<br />
while improving the standard of care. It is not good to put equipment<br />
there that will sit and gather dust. The desire is to have the<br />
equipment generate revenue to pay for itself and more.”<br />
Veterinarians want equipment that is easy to use, carries<br />
warranties, and has portability, he said. Two-thirds of the vet<br />
industry business is in urban areas, where there are high concentrations<br />
of <strong>com</strong>panion animals. As a region, according to Mr.<br />
Ziller, the “strongest base is in the western and southern U.S.”<br />
Software choices play a role in how well digital radiography<br />
systems run. OEMs believe that customers are expecting “more<br />
for less money,” wrote Michael Andrews, vice-president of Hudson<br />
Digital Systems, a West Paterson, NJ, <strong>com</strong>pany. “This market<br />
has cost-conscious buyers, which is driving vendors to increase<br />
the value [of their products]. [Features] such as faster throughput,<br />
[increased number of software user] licenses, better financing<br />
rates, better warranties . . . all are on the upward trend.”<br />
The <strong>com</strong>pany sells the HDR series of veterinary CCD<br />
digital radiography systems in addition to Fuji medical and<br />
veterinary CR equipment, ranging in price from $15,000 to<br />
$100,000. Their customer base includes small and large veterinary<br />
hospitals, emergency clinics, and specialty centers.<br />
“The very best X-ray equipment is only as good as the<br />
image enhancement software used to display images for diag-<br />
48<br />
Veterinary CT scanner<br />
(Image courtesy of TW<br />
Medical Veterinary Supply)<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
nosis,” wrote Tom Dziubeck, director of OEM sales at ContextVision,<br />
in an e-mail interview. The Newton, MA-based<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany sells software used for medical imaging enhancements<br />
for MRI’s, X-ray, ultrasound, and CT image data.<br />
“The vet digital X-ray market is an upgrade market --<br />
[people] generally have older X-ray equipment [and most] are<br />
leaving X-ray film and [converting] to digital equipment,” said<br />
Mr. Dziubeck. “In order to generate a digital X-ray image, you<br />
need the software.”<br />
“You can spend a whole lot of money for new equipment,”<br />
Mr. Dziubeck observed. “But if the software is not really good,<br />
it’s pointless.”<br />
Overall, there seems to be growing demand in digital Xray,<br />
ultrasound, and diagnostic vet equipment sales. Often,<br />
other <strong>com</strong>plementary goods, such as software sales, go handin-hand<br />
with these vet equipment sales.<br />
However, it is difficult to provide an accurate picture of<br />
what is happening in the used and new vet equipment market<br />
since some major OEMs and other representative ISOs declined<br />
interviews.<br />
Perhaps this is an indication of how <strong>com</strong>petitive the vet<br />
equipment market is, with <strong>com</strong>panies viewing certain lines<br />
of questioning as <strong>com</strong>petitive intelligence. Profits in the vet<br />
industry are large, since there are no federal regulations or insurance<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies steering reimbursements, making secrecy<br />
necessary to protect a <strong>com</strong>pany’s <strong>com</strong>petitive edge.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10008<br />
To read more on veterinary medicine, visit us online and<br />
search dm10011.<br />
HemaTrue ® Veterinary Hematology Analyzer<br />
(Image courtesy of TW Medical Veterinary Supply)<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
InfUSIOn PUMPS<br />
New Developments<br />
Lead to New Opportunities By Mary Kate Baumann<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 49
50<br />
The Alaris ® System utilizes smart infusion<br />
technology to help reduce medication errors,<br />
one of healthcare's biggest concerns.<br />
Recently, new preventive<br />
software has been developed<br />
for smart pumps,<br />
which is great news for<br />
health care facilities worried<br />
about lawsuits involving human error,<br />
but will facilities be able to infuse<br />
their practices with these new technologies,<br />
or will budgetary concerns prevent<br />
implementation from going more than<br />
skin deep?<br />
Manual administration of medication<br />
can be impractical, expensive and<br />
sometimes unreliable due to human error.<br />
Thus, improvements for infusion<br />
pumps and new lines of smart pumps are<br />
popular for manufacturers to roll out to<br />
customers. There will always be a need<br />
for fluid administration in patient care<br />
(due to chronic conditions such as cancer,<br />
diabetes, neurological conditions,<br />
etc.), so the future development of new<br />
innovations for infusion and intravenous<br />
pumps appears to be a healthy one.<br />
According to Jason Hess of KLAS<br />
Enterprises, a <strong>com</strong>pany that offers im-<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
partial vendor performance information,<br />
the most recent advancement in smart<br />
infusion pump technology has been the<br />
shift to wireless technology. He stated,<br />
“Patient safety is the overarching reason<br />
for the existence of smart pump technology,<br />
and the most important driver for<br />
patient safety is the functionality of the<br />
pump itself.” Wireless technology and<br />
remote access are key players in functionality<br />
and ease of use in the pump.<br />
The <strong>com</strong>pany Micrel recently introduced<br />
a wireless offering called Rhythmic<br />
Connect. It uses a General Packet Radio<br />
Service (GPRS) mobile phone integrated<br />
with an infusion device and allows the<br />
pump to <strong>com</strong>municate with a web server.<br />
This server provides access at any time<br />
through the web, sends warnings regarding<br />
the status of the infusion and can be<br />
remotely adjusted and controlled. This<br />
offers a higher level of convenience to<br />
staff and more mobility for patients as<br />
well as the ability to provide faster immediate<br />
care. Wireless pumps also contain<br />
dose calculations, error reduction soft-<br />
ware technology and drug libraries. This<br />
software monitors drug administration<br />
and initiates alerts to warn nurses of infusion<br />
issues and overdosing.<br />
Because something as simple as a<br />
decimal point error can cause a potentially<br />
life-threatening discrepancy between<br />
a safe and unsafe dosage, infusion<br />
pumps must be designed to defend<br />
against medical errors, ensuring the correct<br />
medication gets to the right patient<br />
in the right amount every time.<br />
The smart infusion pumps on the<br />
market right now deliver controlled<br />
rates of medication in addition to having<br />
the capacity to store entire lists of<br />
medications that a hospital contains.<br />
Pumps also store information on concentration<br />
and dose limits of each medication<br />
in the hospital’s library. There<br />
are different dose limits based on different<br />
care units (i.e. operating rooms,<br />
intensive care units, etc) and the smart<br />
pumps can tell the nurse when a dose<br />
limit is exceeded.<br />
Dose limits and concentration levels<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
aren’t the only technological software<br />
programs that smart pumps contain;<br />
they now boast error reduction software<br />
like NHS’s Dose Error Reduction Systems<br />
for infusion pumps (DERS) and<br />
Computerized Providers Order Entry<br />
System (CPOE).<br />
The main function of DERS is to<br />
decrease pump programming errors<br />
and injuries related to such errors. According<br />
to the National Patient Safety<br />
Agency (NPSA), adverse drug events<br />
(ADEs) are the cause of about 24% of<br />
the total number of medication incidents.<br />
It also turns out that 61% of the<br />
most serious ADEs are IV-drug related.<br />
The DERS intercepts medication errors,<br />
displays alerts and even prevents delivery<br />
of medication if the infused dosages<br />
exceed hospital-defined ranges.<br />
Computerized prescriber order entry<br />
(CPOE) allows clinicians to directly enter<br />
a medical order from a <strong>com</strong>puter or<br />
mobile device. CPOE systems allocate<br />
access to patient records and offers clinical<br />
support with drug administration – in<br />
terms of what drugs are safe to administer<br />
based on a patient’s records. Software<br />
like CPOE eliminates medical error<br />
which is often caused by sloppy, illegible<br />
handwriting and transcription errors all<br />
while improving precision, thoroughness,<br />
and continuity of care. CPOE also<br />
helps clinicians avoid ADEs by alerting<br />
them about improper doses, allergies,<br />
existing conditions, drug-to-drug interactions<br />
and other key factors in the occurrence<br />
of an adverse drug event.<br />
Due to recent recalls and device<br />
alerts, concerns over errors in pump<br />
malfunctions are increasing. Roger Strachota<br />
of BMX Medical says, “The most<br />
<strong>com</strong>mon problem with infusion pumps<br />
is with preventive maintenance which<br />
counters calibration of the pump. Preventative<br />
maintenance is necessary to<br />
make sure the pump has an accurate<br />
flow and infusion rate as determined by<br />
the manufacturer.” This concern is thus<br />
pushing manufacturers to design improved<br />
pumps with new safety features to<br />
meet high demand. For instance, Smith-<br />
Medical’s CADD ambulatory infusion<br />
pump has gained recognition for not only<br />
being easy to read, and having occlusion<br />
sensors (designed to alert clinicians and<br />
patients if interruptions of fluid delivery<br />
occurs) containing an “air-in-line” detection<br />
system, but also for having an event<br />
memory of over 1000 events.<br />
Though the United States economy<br />
has seen a downturn, the infusion pump<br />
market has not been significantly impacted.<br />
Although the current economic climate<br />
has slowed demand for new equipment,<br />
hospitals with smaller budgets<br />
have contributed to an increased demand<br />
for rental/lease and refurbished pumps.<br />
Julie Gutterman of Pulse Consultants,<br />
an infusion pump repair and refurbishing<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany, says, “A lot of hospitals<br />
that usually go for new equipment<br />
are now starting to look for refurbished<br />
equipment because there is just no longer<br />
room in their budget for new equipment.<br />
There is a major many benefit to<br />
buying refurbished - it is much less expensive.”<br />
Even though it’s less expensive,<br />
buyers can still feel <strong>com</strong>fortable with<br />
their purchases. “All the equipment we<br />
sell has a warrantee, and people realize<br />
that it’s a good way to spend their<br />
money. It saves them more money for<br />
other equipment they might need,” says<br />
Gutterman.<br />
Strachota adds, “They are using<br />
O/R Equipment<br />
For Less<br />
Modernize your O/R!<br />
From concept to <strong>com</strong>pletion.<br />
Beacon Surgical will outfit your O/R with state-of-the-art lights,<br />
video systems, tables, anesthesia machines, equipment managers,<br />
and more...<br />
� We will install and provide a warranty on everything we sell.<br />
� We are the industry leader in refurbished lights.<br />
� We carry all major brands!<br />
� With 25 trained technicians nationwide we can provide fast<br />
and reliable service on your existing O/R lights.<br />
866-931-1535 � beaconsurgical.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 51
efurbished pumps to save up for the<br />
software driven pumps because pump<br />
expenditure can be in the millions.”<br />
As a final note, Gutterman tells<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> that, “A lot of infusion pumps<br />
facilities might have purchased new a<br />
long time ago aren’t being manufactured<br />
anymore. Since people need to<br />
stay consistent with their technology,<br />
they need to go for used, refurbished<br />
pumps.”<br />
Business in the refurbished and<br />
used market is booming, and the original<br />
equipment manufacturers and suppliers<br />
also seem to be doing well. Recently<br />
the Global Industry Analysts (GIA) announced<br />
that the infusion pump market<br />
is projected to reach $6.8 billion by<br />
2015. This statistic is a function of increased<br />
disease incidence, new technology<br />
and mobility.<br />
Currently, the United States and<br />
Europe dominate the global infusion<br />
pump market. However, there has been<br />
a trend of emerging markets in South<br />
America and China – particularly with<br />
a strong budding interest in used and refurbished<br />
pumps. According to analysts<br />
from Marketstrat Inc, a research <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
that publishes reports on medical<br />
devices, “Diabetes and pain control are<br />
areas of potential high growth in countries<br />
outside the US. These markets are<br />
still under-penetrated and growth of disease<br />
rates, improved diagnosis and demand<br />
for better management will create<br />
immense market opportunities. Most<br />
notable will be the pain control market<br />
in Europe and diabetes market in Asia.”<br />
In the United States, one of the stronger<br />
sectors of the market is the homecare<br />
sector – infusion pumps that are<br />
patient controlled systems and ambulatory<br />
pumps. Also a leader in the infusion<br />
pump industry is the implantable infusion<br />
pump. This demand is due to rising incidences<br />
of diabetes and cancer. There is<br />
a shift towards this alternate care because<br />
most of the pumps are cost effective and<br />
emulate normal pancreatic functions.<br />
The most influential leaders in<br />
the infusion pump market are Baxter<br />
Healthcare Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen<br />
AG, and CareFusion Corporation.<br />
In fact, the leading infusion pump<br />
supplier, B. Braun Melsungen AG, has<br />
received many awards for their part in<br />
making great advances in the medical<br />
infusion world. And, according to Caroll<br />
H. Neubauer, Chairman and CEO of<br />
B. Braun Medical, “Despite the down<br />
economy, B. Braun grew 7.37% in the<br />
Parenteral category in 2008 while the<br />
overall market segment grew 7.45%,<br />
and 22.17% in the Solutions/Nutritional<br />
category in 2008, while the overall market<br />
segment grew 16.4%.”<br />
In general, market trends may be<br />
shifting due to “higher expectations<br />
from hospitals, specifically pertaining<br />
to wireless capabilities and interoperability<br />
with the hospital Clinical Information<br />
System,” according to KLAS<br />
Enterprises. As KLAS says in its report<br />
on smart pumps, 29% of health care<br />
facilities report that integration with<br />
the hospital Electronic Medical Record<br />
(EMR) is the number one priority when<br />
considering the purchase of new infusion<br />
pump technologies.<br />
The shift of focus on the market<br />
from new pumps to used pumps may<br />
delay new technological innovations<br />
for now, but a lot has to be done. Roger<br />
Strachota says, “IV pumps evolve and<br />
will be available forever due to hydration<br />
therapy. It is a mature market, and<br />
every health care facility will have one<br />
for every patient that shows up at the<br />
door.” Because of this, it’s not surprising<br />
that the success of business in this<br />
sector will continue to flow.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10009<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Registered Infusion Pumps Equipment Sales & Service Companies<br />
For convenient links to these <strong>com</strong>panies’ <strong>DOTmed</strong> Services Directory listings, go to www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong> and enter [DM 10009]<br />
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.<br />
Name Company - Domestic City State Certified DM100<br />
Glenn Herskowitz Universal Medical Technologies Scottsdale AZ<br />
Anwar Abdelqader CBE Medical, Inc. Anaheim CA •<br />
Sauda Yerabati Marketstrat, Inc. Dublin CA<br />
Michael Kilcran Medtec Medical, Inc. Buffalo Grove IL<br />
Richard Fosco HealthWare, Inc. Oak Brook IL •<br />
Alda Clemmey STAT Bio-Medical Sales & Service East Freetown MA • •<br />
Kevin Blaser Coast To Coast Medical Fall River MA<br />
Bob Gaw Physicians Resource Network, Inc. Fall River MA • •<br />
Rick Frazier MedEquip Services, Inc. Woburn MA<br />
John Gladstein Medical Device Depot Ellicott City MD •<br />
Asif Bhinder tekyard Burnsville MN<br />
Roger Strachota BMX Medical, Inc. Minneapolis MN • •<br />
Bob Caples Med-E-Quip Locators, Inc. Maryland Heights MO • •<br />
Jason Eden Bio Basics Global Park Hills MO •<br />
Michael Callaghan ISIS Medical Solutions, LLC Tabernacle NJ • •<br />
John Carrubba A-1 Ultrasound Services West Paterson NJ<br />
Julie Gutterman Pulse Consultants Mason OH<br />
Ron Smith Lifeline Biomedical Nashville TN<br />
Stephen Rousset Medical Equipment Solutions Beaumont TX •<br />
Charles Tucker MedSurg Equipment, LLC Beaumont TX •<br />
Andrea Morrill KLAS Enterprises Orem UT<br />
Joseph Cramer IV Technologies, Inc. Upperville VA • •<br />
Name Company – International City Country Certified DM100<br />
Kevin Ming Healthpower Technology Ltd. Shenzhen China<br />
Tosif Jamal Al Asasyah Riyadh Saudi Arabia<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 53
54<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
By Keith Loria<br />
Transporting and<br />
Storing Mobile Trailers<br />
The high gas prices that plagued the mobile transportation industry last year seem to<br />
have leveled off, but a number of transportation <strong>com</strong>panies have seen the downward<br />
economy wreak havoc during the past 12 months.<br />
“I think just like every other industry influenced by the economy, the transportation<br />
industry has been very slow over the last year,” says Cliff Hess, owner of<br />
Texas Medical Mobile Services. “We have seen things start to ramp up over the last few weeks,<br />
but I don’t know if that is a trend that will continue.”<br />
Some feel a down economy can actually be a good thing for the mobile industry, as hospitals<br />
and clinics may look to rent mobile equipment, rather than spend money on upgrading and<br />
buying new systems.<br />
“Stuff still needs to be moved, so business has been steady,” says Paul Zahn, Director of<br />
Sales and Marketing at Mobile MedTech. “Gas prices are not the concern that they were and<br />
customers are still utilizing us to bring their trailers where needed.”<br />
Considering mobile medical trailers are utilized for transporting equipment that can be valued<br />
in the millions - some holding a ten-ton superconducting MRI magnet with over 240,000<br />
miles of coiled wire bathed in a thousand liters of liquid helium at -452.1 degrees Fahrenheit<br />
below zero - obviously they’re not dealing with run-of-the-mill freight.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
The Open Road<br />
Mobile trailers and their cargo are sensitive<br />
machines that require specialized<br />
care and a host of exacting procedures<br />
to get from point A to point B safely and<br />
securely. Once there, the job still isn’t<br />
done. There’s still the task of setting up<br />
the trailer.<br />
“This is not something that just any<br />
truck driver can do and our customers really<br />
depend on us to represent them when<br />
we set up a trailer at a hospital,” says<br />
Hess. “The drivers need to be able to deal<br />
with any problems on the road and once<br />
they get to their destination, they need to<br />
get everything situated so the equipment<br />
is ready to be used by the technician or<br />
doctor when they are ready to scan.”<br />
Before hitting the open highways,<br />
drivers have to make sure the gantry is<br />
locked in the correct position for transport,<br />
check suspensions for leveling,<br />
make sure the load won’t shift and double-check<br />
that paperwork and instructions<br />
have been documented properly.<br />
“A <strong>com</strong>pany will call or e-mail us to<br />
arrange for us to pick up the trailer and<br />
move it somewhere,” says Lee Bernier,<br />
General Manager and CEO of Sage Point<br />
Transportation, LLC, with headquarters<br />
in Upland, CA, and terminals in Texas,<br />
New York, and Washington. “We provide<br />
a tractor equipped with air-ride and<br />
we have experienced drivers who will go<br />
and check the trailer to make sure everything<br />
is stored, put away and tied down,<br />
dismantle the stairs and railings, hook it<br />
up and drive to wherever they want it.<br />
Then, set the trailer up, level and don’t<br />
leave until someone from the hospital<br />
<strong>com</strong>es out and approves that everything<br />
is set the way they want it.”<br />
Experienced Drivers Wanted<br />
Driver responsibilities include being<br />
able to restart the chiller, making sure<br />
the air conditioning is connected, knowing<br />
how to restart the cold head or <strong>com</strong>pressor<br />
if necessary, and knowing how<br />
to plug and unplug the unit into a Russelstoll<br />
480-volt power source in exactly<br />
the right sequence, or else potentially<br />
catastrophic problems could arise.<br />
That’s why transportation <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
are so stringent when hiring new drivers.<br />
“We have our drivers spend two<br />
weeks of training prior to ever getting out<br />
on the mobile road, learning how to set<br />
up and tear down the trailers,” says Zahn.<br />
“We only use experienced drivers who are<br />
responsible for getting everything ready,<br />
from top to bottom, on delivery.”<br />
Hess concurs that his <strong>com</strong>pany will<br />
not let anyone on a medical trailer who<br />
has not gone through extensive training.<br />
“We bring them to our facility and<br />
they learn all about what a medical trailer<br />
is and the logistics of everything,” he<br />
says. “They learn what an MRI looks<br />
like, what to do with a cold head, what<br />
needs to be done when they pick a trailer<br />
up and when they drop one off. When<br />
they are ready, they are equipped with all<br />
the knowledge they need.”<br />
Money Issues<br />
Gas fees aren’t the only wavering issue<br />
that transportation <strong>com</strong>panies are faced<br />
with. Insurance is a must (umbrella<br />
policies of $1 million or more) and special<br />
permits for oversized or overweight<br />
trailers need to be obtained.<br />
“It depends on how new they are,<br />
but we’ve picked trailers up that have<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 55
een as much as $2.4 million over the years,” says Bernier.<br />
“You need to carry a lot of insurance, so we cover even more<br />
than that. That’s one of the reasons why hauling is expensive,<br />
because you need to have that insurance in case something<br />
ever did go wrong.”<br />
Bernier also stresses the importance of understanding it’s<br />
a “portal to portal business,” and that to maximize profits, you<br />
should do whatever you can to keep a tractor from returning<br />
empty, resulting in what is known as bobtail miles.<br />
Storage Solutions<br />
Mobiles aren’t usually rented out every day of the year. During<br />
the days when they are not in demand, they need to be properly<br />
stored. Once a trailer <strong>com</strong>es in, it is plugged into power<br />
(although a CT trailer doesn’t need to be on power, in most<br />
cases it still is) and then closely monitored.<br />
“We have to rig it in, connect it to power, run the gas <strong>com</strong>pressor<br />
and cold head, check the chilled water connection and<br />
monitor daily. We look at helium levels and check <strong>com</strong>pressors,”<br />
says Clark Wilkins, President of JDI Solutions. “We’ll<br />
look to see if any maintenance needs to be done and usually<br />
we do some special work on the trailers.”<br />
Because of the trailers being used so regularly, they often<br />
need some maintenance to get them looking top-notch.<br />
For this, most storage <strong>com</strong>panies also offer a full selection of<br />
maintenance and refurbishing services that a trailer can under-<br />
56<br />
When You Need to Move Your<br />
Mobile Imaging Units<br />
Call Sage Point Transport.<br />
Experienced. Fully-trained. Insured.<br />
Sage Point is one of the largest and most experienced<br />
medical trailer carriers in the nation.<br />
Our drivers are fully-trained to transport PET/CTs and<br />
all imaging equipment. We provide <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
transport, maintenance and storage.<br />
www.sage-point.<strong>com</strong><br />
POWER UP TO EXCELLENCE<br />
Call 888-466-SAGE (7243)<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
go while awaiting its next run. The mobiles can get trailer repair<br />
and reconditioning, PMs, deinstallations, reinstallations,<br />
cold head and <strong>com</strong>pressor maintenance, helium and internal<br />
magnet pressure monitoring, and A/C service.<br />
“A storage yard needs to be able to give the trailer a<br />
planned maintenance,” says Michael Profeta of Magnetic Resonance<br />
Technologies. “One trailer we just had in, we ended<br />
up re-servicing the generator, replacing the batteries, adjusting<br />
the brakes, changing all the bulbs and running lights, cleaning<br />
the air filters in the A/C unit—all the service related issues not<br />
part of the equipment, but part of the trailer.”<br />
Once a transport-heavy <strong>com</strong>pany, Texas Medical Mobile<br />
Solutions has seen its storage business increase to the point<br />
that they are now doing more storage than transport, tripling<br />
its customer base in the past six months. They now can ac<strong>com</strong>modate<br />
30 trailers on power.<br />
“Any trailer that’s stored here gets checked every single<br />
day and we can work on every single part of the trailer except<br />
the medical equipment inside,” says Hess. “From a flat tire to<br />
brake lights, from painting to reconditioning; we are checking<br />
all the assembly that goes into a medical trailer.”<br />
The <strong>com</strong>pany also does something unique in that they<br />
publish a report about each stored trailer on a web site, so their<br />
customers can check on how their trailer is doing every day.<br />
“We want to take care of our customers and like them to<br />
think of us as their service station,” Hess says.<br />
Mobile MedTech has storage and power available at facilities<br />
in Council Bluffs, IA and Cottage Grove, WI.<br />
“Our guys walk the yard every morning and we monitor<br />
and report the cryogen levels and make sure the air conditioning<br />
is working, Zahn says. “Ideally, you want to make sure the<br />
environmentals are working; they are there for a reason.”<br />
Industry experts estimate the cost of running a chiller on<br />
an MRI anywhere from $50-$150 a day.<br />
Bernie Bartoszek, Executive Vice President for MagnaServ<br />
Inc., says that business is profitable in this sector of<br />
the <strong>com</strong>pany.<br />
“We have OEMs who pick up units and instead of hauling<br />
them back to their corporate locations, they pay rent to us and<br />
we store them for them,” says Bartoszek about the <strong>com</strong>pany,<br />
which can store up to nine MRIs in its Stuart, Fla. location.<br />
“We have customers bring in the mobiles and they need to be<br />
refurbished back to their original specs, and we can do all that.<br />
It’s a good business.”<br />
When it <strong>com</strong>es to MRI mobiles, a bit more is required<br />
than storing a CT or PET mobile. Helium levels need to be<br />
checked every morning. Magnet pressure needs to be kept<br />
track of constantly. Chillers need to be attended to and each<br />
unit has to be kept permanently plugged into a 480-volt Russellstoll<br />
outlet for the duration of its storage.<br />
Mobile MRI units are often subjected to more vibration<br />
than a fixed site unit, so it is very important that the integrity<br />
of the helium venting system not be <strong>com</strong>promised.<br />
“Our team of field-service technicians are trained to inspect<br />
all seals and perform lead detection on the systems to ensure that<br />
they have not be <strong>com</strong>promised,” says Thomas Freund, Director<br />
of MRI Services for Oxford Superconducting Technology, a divi-<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
sion of Oxford Instruments. “In the event<br />
that the system is exposed to atmosphere,<br />
[our] technicians are trained to clear any<br />
visible ice and restore the system back<br />
into normal operation. In extreme cases<br />
of helium vessel icing, there may be a<br />
requirement to warm the system to room<br />
temperature and then re-cool it to liquid<br />
helium temperature.”<br />
Power Down?<br />
Mobiles were not meant to be stored, as<br />
they can’t make money if they are sitting<br />
on a lot. Still, some of the mobiles<br />
sit for weeks or even months at a time.<br />
“From a cost perspective, if it’s stored<br />
too long, it can be<strong>com</strong>e problematic,” says<br />
Chris Eaton, sales and service manager<br />
for Polaris Medical Imaging. “You’re basically<br />
using cryogens and power and not<br />
using your machine. You have to calculate<br />
if it’s worth keeping it on power.”<br />
If someone has a magnet and puts<br />
it in warehouse without power and it<br />
goes warm after a few weeks, the cost<br />
to cool it down again with new helium<br />
would be more expensive than it would<br />
be to keep it cold during that time as a<br />
cool down would cost from $30,000 to<br />
$40,000. However, Profeta says at some<br />
point, it does make sense to pull the<br />
plug if they are not getting used.<br />
“There is a break-even point, usually<br />
after six months, so if you know it will<br />
be sitting that long, let it warm up and<br />
58<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
cool it down again,” he says. “Sometimes<br />
people get stuck hanging on to something<br />
for a year and don’t need to be paying<br />
$36,000-plus to let it sit for that long.”<br />
Problem Solving<br />
The two critical elements in keeping a<br />
magnet cold involve ensuring that the<br />
helium level is monitored and topped<br />
off as required, and making sure that the<br />
refrigeration system is operating within<br />
specification.<br />
Poor maintenance and servicing<br />
procedures can often lead to a quench,<br />
and recovering from a quench will be<br />
costly and time consuming.<br />
“Magnet technology has gotten better<br />
and with experienced engineers, quenches<br />
don’t happen near as often as they used<br />
to,” says Michael Webster of Legacy<br />
Medical Imaging. “A black quench means<br />
the magnet shorted or burned up and is<br />
not repairable (in the field). A soft quench<br />
you can replace the baffle, check magnet<br />
resistance, check for signs of ice, fill it up<br />
with cryogens and try to ramp it.”<br />
Freund offers that the most important<br />
aspect is addressing the problem<br />
as quickly as possible, minimizing any<br />
air ingress and ensuring that the system<br />
does not go warm.<br />
“As soon as the quench subsides, the<br />
venting needs to be inspected to ensure<br />
that all valves have closed, bursting discs<br />
are inspected to ensure that they have not<br />
been <strong>com</strong>promised,” he says. “O-rings<br />
are often overlooked and also need to be<br />
inspected. Once the venting integrity has<br />
been established, the system needs to be<br />
checked for any air/ice ingress. If clear,<br />
the system can be re-filled with liquid helium<br />
and re-ramped to field. A frequency<br />
check and shim check should be included<br />
with this part of the service to ensure the<br />
system is within specification.”<br />
Helium Costs Rising<br />
The worldwide consumption of helium<br />
has increased by between 5% and 10% a<br />
year in the past decade, with the biggest<br />
growth in its use as a coolant for the superconducting<br />
magnets in MRIs. Present<br />
helium consumption is estimated<br />
to be about 100 million cubic meters a<br />
year, and is predicted to continue rising<br />
by 4% to 5% a year.<br />
“Helium costs have doubled all at<br />
once for a lot of people. Some people still<br />
have good numbers because their contracts<br />
aren’t up, but eventually they will<br />
all be paying that much,” Profeta says,<br />
pointing to the shortage of helium as the<br />
reason. “Our price almost doubled.”<br />
According to those doing the renting,<br />
the medical mobile industry continues<br />
to do well, and the transportation,<br />
storage and keep-cold businesses concentrate<br />
on providing top customer service<br />
to keep the overall industry strong.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10013<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Registered Mobile Trailer Transportation, Trailer Storage, MRI Keep Cold Service<br />
Equipment Sales & Service Companies<br />
For convenient links to these <strong>com</strong>panies’ <strong>DOTmed</strong> Services Directory listings, go to www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong> and enter [DM 10013]<br />
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.<br />
Name Company - Domestic City State Certified DM100<br />
Steve Gregson Sage Point Transport, LLC Upland CA<br />
Bernie Bartoszek MagnaServ, Inc. Parker CO<br />
Gene Miller MobileMed Support Services Stafford Springs CT<br />
Dennis Giuzio Mobile Radiology, Inc. New Port Richey FL<br />
Jack Stoner Medical Transit Services, Inc. Cartersville GA<br />
Darlene Bishop Global Transportation, Inc. Newnan GA •<br />
Dan Feeley National Mobile Medical Transport Homer Glen IL<br />
Jennifer VanDerMolen Powersource Transportation, Inc. Griffith IN<br />
Clark Wilkins JDI Solutions, Inc. Brevard NC • •<br />
Christi Kukes DMS Health Technologies Fargo ND<br />
Thomas Freund Oxford Instruments Carteret NJ • •<br />
Michael Profeta Magnetic Resonance Technologies Willoughby OH •<br />
Jack Barker Rowe Transfer, Inc. Knoxville TN<br />
Michael Webster Legacy Medical Imaging Fort Worth TX<br />
Chris Eaton Polaris Medical Imaging Houston TX<br />
Cliff Hess Texas Medical Mobile Services Waxahachie TX<br />
Paul Zahn Mobile MedTech Cottage Grove WI •<br />
Name Company – International City Country Certified DM100<br />
Adam Kubisch Inmed Medizintechnik Offenbach Germany<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Medical Coaches Drives New Auto Leveling Technology<br />
Leveling PET/CT coaches is a precision game and<br />
the quality of patient imaging depends on it. The<br />
future of mobile biomedical unit leveling appears<br />
to be just pulling in with the Automatic Leveling<br />
System, a new technology developed jointly by<br />
Medical Coaches and Siemens in partnership with Power-<br />
Packer, a hydraulic motion control engineering <strong>com</strong>pany.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> caught up with one of the first mobile biomedical<br />
professionals to use the system. Ken Hyatt, Transportation<br />
Director for the PET/CT Center of North Florida, a part of the<br />
Florida Radiation Oncology Group (FROG) and the Oncure<br />
Medical network, works with five biomedical trailers, three of<br />
which are outfitted with the Automatic Leveling System.<br />
“It works great -- you just walk up to it and push a button<br />
and watch it work. It saves a lot of time for our drivers,”<br />
says Hyatt. “I wish I had it on all my trailers.”<br />
Hyatt says more than 10,000 scans are conducted in his<br />
coaches every year. The Automatic Leveling System slices<br />
several minutes off the typical leveling time and could<br />
potentially improve patient throughput.<br />
“It takes about two and a half to three minutes now where<br />
it used to take 15 to 20 minutes to set up,” says Hyatt.<br />
Medical Coaches Marketing Director Chad Smith explained<br />
the functionality of the system, which is currently<br />
used by about five customers on Siemens-exclusive medical<br />
trailers.<br />
“The reason we came up with the Automatic Leveling System<br />
was to ensure the most accurate stability levelness of<br />
the PET/CT equipment on site,” says Smith. “No matter<br />
where they pulled up they could hit a button and it would<br />
level from side to side, front to back, to exactly zero, so<br />
By Kathy F. Mahdoubi<br />
that when they went to scan patients they know they are<br />
getting the most accurate feedback from the scanner.”<br />
Scanning patients in improperly leveled trailers could lead<br />
to inaccurate patient imaging.<br />
“If your coaches aren’t level, you’re going to throw your scans<br />
off, which throws your treatment planning off,” Hyatt says.<br />
Tim Seksinsky, On-Highway Market Leader for Power-Packer,<br />
spoke with <strong>DOTmed</strong> about the nuts and bolts of product<br />
development, which began in 2006 when Medical Coaches<br />
and Siemens found that the leveling of the longer, more<br />
heavy-duty PET/CT coaches needed to be more exact.<br />
“The goal set in 2006 was for Power Packer to create a system<br />
to reduce the time to level the Medical Coaches PET/CT<br />
mobile unit from 15 minutes with the two-point landing gear<br />
system to five minutes or less with an extremely accurate<br />
four-point hydraulic leveling system,” notes Seksinsky.<br />
All parties worked on prototypes throughout 2007 and arrived<br />
at the finished product last year. The hydraulic system employs<br />
four-inch diameter jack legs and is controlled by a keypad<br />
controller, or “black box,’ which is wired and mounted in<br />
a <strong>com</strong>partment on the exterior of the trailer. An indicator light<br />
on the control panel confirms when the trailer is level. The<br />
Automatic Leveling System has been built according to Mobile<br />
Coaches’ and Siemens PET/CT system specifications<br />
and is currently installed on 48-foot long, 102-inch wide and<br />
13-foot, 5-inch tall trailers weighing about 57,000 lbs.<br />
Some of the environments these coaches settle into may<br />
have as much as a 10-degree pitch or down slope, all of<br />
which are manageable with the auto leveler. Hyatt says<br />
the system is especially helpful for night drivers.<br />
The system is showing a tremendous amount of room for<br />
growth and can be both retrofitted or modified for use with<br />
other trailers including MRI and mammography units and<br />
even biomedical RVs.<br />
“We are thinking of adding an MRI trailer by the end of the<br />
year,” says Hyatt.<br />
The Automatic Leveling System is just getting started in<br />
the U.S., but Medical Coaches and Power-Packer are already<br />
thinking not only creatively, but globally.<br />
“The Power Packer Key pad controller has the capability to<br />
drive other motion control devices on the coach and can be<br />
configured to display instructions in different languages, as<br />
well, if required in the future,” explains Seksinsky.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10014<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 59
The European Society for<br />
Magnetic Resonance in<br />
Medicine and Biology<br />
The European Society of Magnetic Resonance in<br />
Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) Congress<br />
2009 will be held on October 1 to 3, 2009, in<br />
Belek/Antalya, Turkey, at the Maritim Beach Hotel.<br />
Professor A. Muhtesem Agildere, as Chair of<br />
the Local Organizing Committee, will host the event.<br />
ESMRMB president, Professor Isabelle Berry says, “This<br />
year, ESMRMB holds its 26 th Congress in the very same spirit that<br />
founded our society in 1984, as a platform for clinicians, physicists<br />
and basic scientists with an interest in the field of MR.’’<br />
The Scientific Programme Committee is chaired by Professor<br />
Bernard Van Beers, who has prepared a very attractive<br />
lineup. The plenary, scientific and clinical focus sessions as<br />
well as the mini categorical courses will offer a wide range of<br />
novelties in the various aspects of magnetic resonance.<br />
“The scientific meeting will start with the Sir Peter Mansfield<br />
Lecture given by Professor Kamil Ugurbil on ultrahigh<br />
field MRI,” states, Professor Van Beers. “Other meeting highlights<br />
include the popular, hot-topic debate about quantitative<br />
MRI, the roundtable discussion on clinical spectroscopy, the<br />
young investigator award finals, plenary sessions devoted to<br />
ageing and neurodegenerative diseases, novel endogenous<br />
contrast phenomena, and post parallel imaging.”<br />
Meeting Highlights Include the Following:<br />
• 31 scientific sessions, 8 teaching sessions, 7 clinical focus<br />
sessions, 62 invited talks<br />
• 3 Industry Symposia:<br />
• Thursday, October 1 - GE Healthcare<br />
• Friday, October 2 - Siemens Healthcare<br />
• Saturday, October 3 - Philips Healthcare<br />
• Paper Poster and EPOS exhibition<br />
• Technical exhibition from Thursday to Saturday<br />
• Sir Peter Mansfield Lecture on Very high field MRI<br />
• ESMRMB/EFOMP Joint Session<br />
• Hot Topic Debate: What is the point of quantitative MRI?<br />
• Round Table Discussion on Clinical Spectroscopy<br />
• Young Investigator Award Finals<br />
• Info-RESO demonstration exhibition<br />
• Teaching Quiz throughout the congress – the winner will be<br />
announced during the Award Ceremony on Saturday, October<br />
3rd.<br />
For more information about the ESMRMB Conference go to<br />
http://www.esmrmb.org/.<br />
Breast Online: Ultrasound dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10015<br />
Digital Mammo Breast MR<br />
•<br />
60<br />
shows & conferences<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
The Tennessee Hospital<br />
Association<br />
The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) will<br />
host its 44th Annual Technical and Education<br />
Exposition & 71st Annual Meeting, October 28th<br />
through the 29th at the Nashville Convention<br />
Center in Nashville, TN. The theme of this year’s<br />
meeting is “Defining the New Normal.”<br />
The schedule of the THA Annual Meeting is Wednesday,<br />
October 28, through the afternoon of Friday, October 30.<br />
Meetings of the various groups are scheduled for Wednesday,<br />
Thursday and Friday at the Renaissance Hotel and Nashville<br />
Convention Center.<br />
Craig A. Becker THA president said, “Each year, the<br />
THA Technical and Educational Exposition includes over<br />
200 booths featuring more than 180 health care <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
and consultants, which will be open Wednesday evening,<br />
during the THA Ice Breaker Social and continues Thursday.<br />
The products and services will include the most advanced<br />
technology and equipment available for patient care and hospital<br />
operations.”<br />
THA’s 44-year-old exposition is one of the largest trade<br />
shows sponsored by a state hospital association in the nation.<br />
“We strongly encourage all THA members and annual meeting<br />
registrants to attend the exhibit show. It is a win-win situation<br />
for health care professionals and the vendors who participate,<br />
because they have an opportunity to see the latest state-of-the<br />
art health care technology, products and services. The exhibitors<br />
are very supportive of THA and we thank them for participating<br />
in the show,” Becker said.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> plans on attending this year’s show, and<br />
Mark Colavecchio, Online Auction Specialist for <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<br />
<strong>com</strong> said of last year’s show, “The THA Annual Technical<br />
and Education Exposition presented <strong>DOTmed</strong> with the opportunity<br />
to speak with the decision makers of facilities,<br />
large and small.”<br />
THA is the premiere organization in Tennessee that promotes<br />
and represents the interests of all health careers, hospitals<br />
and health systems.<br />
Those wishing to participate may go to the THA web<br />
site at www.tha.<strong>com</strong> or email scrutchfield@tha.<strong>com</strong>, for<br />
more information about registration and Exhibit Booth<br />
Contract.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10016<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Healthcare Workforce Trends:<br />
An Unabated Need for Clinicians, Engineers and Techs<br />
By Barbara Kram<br />
Health<br />
care in<br />
the U.S.<br />
represents<br />
about onesixth<br />
of the<br />
economy and a<br />
strong source of job<br />
growth in a tight labor market.<br />
But it’s a “careful-whatyou-wish-for”<br />
bright spot in a<br />
slow economy. By all indications,<br />
filling tomorrow’s needs for health<br />
care professionals will be a great<br />
challenge for the nation’s hospitals and<br />
other health care providers.<br />
The clarion example is the anticipated<br />
shortage of primary care physicians. It is accepted<br />
wisdom that to rein in health care costs<br />
patients need a “quarterback” to coordinate their<br />
care, particularly in chronic disease prevention and<br />
management. Chronic diseases account for 70% of<br />
all deaths in the United States and the care costs for<br />
people with chronic diseases account for more than 75%<br />
of the nation’s $2 trillion medical care costs, according to<br />
the Center for Disease Control (CDC).<br />
The American College of Physicians warned in 2006 that primary<br />
care was on the verge of collapse and more recently reported on<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 61
how little has been done<br />
about it. “The United<br />
States has yet to<br />
implement <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
strategies to<br />
recognize, support<br />
and enhance primary<br />
care to the degree necessary<br />
to reverse a worsening<br />
primary care shortage,”<br />
states the ACP in a recent white paper:<br />
How Is a Shortage of Primary Care Physicians<br />
Affecting the Quality and Cost of<br />
Medical Care?<br />
Today, physicians represent about a<br />
60/40 split between specialists and primary<br />
care doctors, an imbalance brought<br />
about by higher pay incentives to enter<br />
specialties. Specialists earn about twice<br />
the pay of general practitioners according<br />
to the Bureau of Labor<br />
Statistics (BLS.gov). Heavy<br />
medical school debt causes<br />
a disproportionate number<br />
of M.D.s to pursue<br />
specialties.<br />
Why should hospitals<br />
or medical facility administrators<br />
care about this? After<br />
all, they aren’t in the business<br />
of providing primary care. Yet,<br />
the burden of the uninsured, <strong>com</strong>bined<br />
with America’s primary care crisis has<br />
transplanted primary care to tertiary<br />
care facilities. As the ACP white paper<br />
documents, patients living in areas with<br />
primary care shortages are at higher risk<br />
for preventable hospitalizations.<br />
Meanwhile, we can’t lose sight of<br />
shortages in medical specialties.<br />
“Physician shortages extend far<br />
beyond primary care and have already<br />
been reported in 19 specialties as varied<br />
as emergency care, general surgery<br />
and child and adolescent psychiatry,”<br />
J. James Rohack, M.D., President, American<br />
Medical Association, indicates in a<br />
recent letter to the Dallas Morning News.<br />
Dr. Rohack re<strong>com</strong>mends increased funding<br />
for the National Health Service Corps<br />
to address the primary care problem. He<br />
also wants to lift the cap on governmentfunded<br />
medical residency slots. “We<br />
must seize this opportunity for <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
health reform to ensure there<br />
are enough physicians to care for all of<br />
America’s patients,” he notes.<br />
62<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Great Jobs Outlook<br />
The primary care crisis is the elephant<br />
in the room when discussing health care<br />
staffing. However, other clinical and<br />
technical professionals are also vital<br />
to operational success at hospitals and<br />
other facilities.<br />
According to the recent report by<br />
the president’s Council of Economic<br />
Advisors, the long-term trend shows<br />
increasing prospects in the health care<br />
field, including the occupations of<br />
medical records and health information<br />
technicians, registered nurses, clinical<br />
laboratory technicians and physical<br />
therapists. The subsectors of nursing<br />
homes, physician offices and hospitals<br />
should also continue to grow. Home<br />
health care, outpatient care and medical<br />
and diagnostic laboratories are<br />
some of the subsectors expected<br />
to add the most jobs. (See<br />
DM9635.)<br />
The health care field<br />
is a great place to be employed.<br />
Education and<br />
health services, taken together<br />
in government data,<br />
is an industry supersector<br />
projected to grow 18.8% by<br />
2016, and add more jobs, nearly 5.5<br />
million, than any other industry supersector.<br />
More than three out of every ten<br />
new jobs created in the U.S. economy<br />
will be in either the health care and social<br />
assistance, or public and private<br />
educational services sectors.<br />
Health care and social assistance—<br />
including public and private hospitals,<br />
nursing and residential care facilities,<br />
and individual and family services—<br />
will grow by 25.4% and add 4 million<br />
new jobs, according to the Department<br />
of Labor’s Tomorrow’s<br />
Jobs report. Employment<br />
growth will be driven by<br />
increasing demand for<br />
health care because of<br />
an aging population and<br />
longer life expectancies.<br />
Nursing Shortage<br />
Eases, Temporarily<br />
Nursing remains at the center of health<br />
care provision in many settings and the<br />
shortage persists. While the economic<br />
downturn has motivated many retired<br />
nurses to return to the field, as reported<br />
in Health Affairs in June, the problem<br />
is not over. In 2007 and 2008<br />
the ranks of America’s nurses<br />
grew by about a quarter million.<br />
That’s a relief, but this<br />
injection of talent won’t be<br />
enough to address a longterm<br />
nursing deficit that<br />
will be caused by retiring<br />
baby boomers, according to<br />
the study’s authors.<br />
While the seminal BLS data was<br />
<strong>com</strong>piled before the recent recession, it<br />
reflects the intractability of the nursing<br />
shortage well into the future. We will<br />
need 587,000 more nurses by 2016, a<br />
23.5% increase in a decade. That is not<br />
counting those positions that need replacing<br />
due to retirement. So while the recent<br />
swelling of the nursing ranks from a poor<br />
economy has slowed the demand a bit,<br />
overall, the nursing crisis continues not<br />
only because the professionals are aging,<br />
but because the patient base is also aging<br />
and will demand more care.<br />
The American Association of Colleges<br />
of Nursing has neatly summarized<br />
the ongoing trouble that is the cause<br />
and effect of the nursing shortage. For<br />
instance, insufficient staffing makes<br />
the job more stressful for nurses in the<br />
workplace and drives many out of the<br />
profession. The AACN also documents<br />
that a high nurse turnover and vacancy<br />
rates are affecting access and quality of<br />
health care for patients. Nursing school<br />
enrollment is not growing fast enough<br />
to meet the demand for RNs and lack of<br />
faculty is part of the vicious cycle.<br />
On a positive note for nurses and<br />
other practitioners, the federal economic<br />
stimulus package earmarks<br />
$200 million to support<br />
training programs for<br />
health care professionals,<br />
including $80.2 million<br />
for scholarships and<br />
loans; $39 million will be<br />
earmarked for nurses and<br />
nurse faculty, and $47.6 for<br />
primary care, among many other<br />
endowments. Also, the American<br />
Nurses Association is re-launching its<br />
Nurses Career Center, now a part of the<br />
National Healthcare Career Network<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
(NHCN), a health care association job<br />
board network. (See DM 9873.)<br />
Biomedical Engineering<br />
Moving In-House<br />
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau<br />
of Labor Statistics projects a 21%<br />
increase in biomedical engineer employment<br />
through 2016, which is much<br />
faster than average growth <strong>com</strong>pared to<br />
other occupations. More anecdotally,<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>’s <strong>com</strong>munity of biomedical<br />
service and support <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
reports an overall trend<br />
toward bringing medical<br />
equipment service in<br />
house at U.S. hospitals.<br />
“There is no question<br />
that hospital systems are<br />
taking on more accountability<br />
for managing equipment<br />
and resources,” said<br />
Rob Piconi, President and Chief<br />
Executive Officer, ReMedpar. “The<br />
pendulum is swinging toward an inhouse<br />
trend. People are saying we can<br />
do equipment maintenance and repair<br />
more cheaply by bringing this in-house<br />
and getting off some of the expensive<br />
service agreements.”<br />
The trend suggests that biomedical<br />
engineers will be highly sought by hospitals<br />
in the near future. Apart from reducing<br />
costs, another objective for in-sourcing<br />
is to improve repair service response.<br />
Conversely, challenges to in-sourcing<br />
include technical staff and education,<br />
managing and monitoring equipment<br />
performance, and finding parts.<br />
“As administrators look to effect<br />
these strategies toward moving service<br />
in-house, they have to be cognizant of<br />
the skill-base within the hospital to do<br />
maintenance service agreements on machines,<br />
which requires ongoing capabilities<br />
training,” Piconi said.<br />
According to the Department of<br />
Labor, as biomedical engineering grows<br />
as a field, the education requirements<br />
are also increasing. Because of the intensifying<br />
interest in this field, the number<br />
of degrees granted in biomedical<br />
engineering has increased greatly. Biomedical<br />
engineers, particularly those<br />
with only a bachelor’s degree, may face<br />
<strong>com</strong>petition for their jobs. Unlike many<br />
other engineering specialties, a gradu-<br />
ate degree is re<strong>com</strong>mended, or required,<br />
for many entry-level jobs in this field,<br />
according to the Occupational Outlook<br />
Handbook.<br />
Interestingly, the states with the<br />
highest concentration of biomedical engineers<br />
are California, Massachusetts,<br />
Minnesota, Maryland and Utah.<br />
Help Wanted: Technologists,<br />
Technicians and<br />
Therapists<br />
A heartbeat away from the essential<br />
care of clinicians is<br />
the contribution of medical<br />
technologists, technicians<br />
and therapists. Specialists<br />
in a number of job categories<br />
are experiencing<br />
increased demand for their<br />
services (see chart).<br />
As a snapshot of the demand/supply<br />
balance, it’s helpful to<br />
look at results from a 2009 survey of<br />
U.S. radiology facilities. Results from<br />
a Nationwide Survey of Radiation<br />
Therapy Facility Managers and Directors<br />
conducted by the American Society<br />
of Radiologic Technologists show that<br />
respondents estimate 7.6% of all FTEs<br />
(full-time equivalent positions) budgeted<br />
for radiation therapists are currently<br />
vacant and recruiting, 8.2% of<br />
dosimetrist positions, 12.1% of medical<br />
physicist positions, 9.2% of radiation<br />
oncologist positions, 7.1% of nursing<br />
positions, 6.1% of ancillary staff positions,<br />
as well as 10.2% of administrative<br />
staff. Note that only 18% of respondents<br />
indicated they have experienced consequences<br />
of a workforce shortage at their<br />
facility. However, an overall greater difficulty<br />
was reported in recruiting radiation<br />
therapists since last year.<br />
In addition to techs, medical assistants’<br />
ranks will grow. For instance,<br />
the broad category of medical assistants<br />
(35.4% job growth) was the fastestgrowing<br />
occupation in <strong>DOTmed</strong>’s BLS<br />
data dip of selected jobs. Other future<br />
needs will be great for physical therapist<br />
assistants (32.4%) and physician<br />
assistants (27%).<br />
In another trend, as the needs of researchers<br />
and patients increase, additional<br />
professional certifications are being<br />
created helping variety of health occupations<br />
to grow. For example, a <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
education and training program<br />
has been introduced by RadMD, LLC<br />
for professionals in medical imaging for<br />
pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech<br />
clinical trials (DM 9868).<br />
For ongoing coverage of trends and<br />
opportunities in the health professions,<br />
visit www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/careers.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10017<br />
Selected Health Occupations Percent Change in Total<br />
Employment 2006-2016<br />
Medical assistants 35.4<br />
Physical therapist assistants 32.4<br />
Physical therapists 27.1<br />
Physician assistants 27.0<br />
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians 25.5<br />
Occupational therapist assistants 25.4<br />
Radiation therapists 24.8<br />
Surgical technologists 24.5<br />
Registered nurses 23.5<br />
Occupational therapists 23.1<br />
Respiratory therapists 22.6<br />
Medical equipment repairers 21.7<br />
Biomedical engineers 21.1<br />
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics 19.2<br />
Diagnostic medical sonographers 19.1<br />
Medical records and health information technicians 17.8<br />
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians 15.0<br />
Nuclear medicine technologists 14.8<br />
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 63
DEGREES OF<br />
fREEdOM:<br />
Redefining<br />
the Field of<br />
PROSThETICS<br />
By Joan Trombetti<br />
64<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Modern technology has greatly<br />
advanced the manufacturing<br />
and usefulness of prosthetics.<br />
Researchers and inventors<br />
are designing prosthetics that<br />
closely mimic natural joints and<br />
limbs. Even though there have<br />
been substantial strides made in<br />
the field, the improvements are<br />
still significant year after year.<br />
With prosthetics more lifelike than ever, individuals fitted for them<br />
are more willing to accept them; because what can be done with a prosthetic<br />
arm, leg, knee, hip, finger or eye could never be done before.<br />
What makes this possible is the research and inventions from great<br />
minds working independently or for research institutions, hospitals,<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies and government agencies with the main purpose of creating<br />
prosthetic applications for virtually every part of the human body.<br />
Over the past five to ten years, by far the greatest advancement in<br />
the field of prosthetics has been the use of microprocessor technology<br />
to operate the major joints of the prosthesis (knees, hands and elbows).<br />
These days, it is not un<strong>com</strong>mon for a prosthetic <strong>com</strong>ponent to require<br />
a laptop <strong>com</strong>puter for programming the device to the wearer’s needs.<br />
Nor is it un<strong>com</strong>mon for a user to have to plug-in their prosthesis at<br />
night so that an internal battery can charge while they sleep.<br />
“Microprocessor technology provides a more sophisticated means<br />
of prosthetics operation and allows wearers to achieve better function,<br />
mobility and confidence,” says Mark Maguire, CPO Clinical Director,<br />
Advanced Prosthetics Center, LLC, Omaha, NE.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Maguire says that the terms “bionics” or<br />
“robotics”, have not been widely accepted<br />
within the prosthetic industry, instead, “we typically<br />
use the term microprocessor technology”.<br />
This terminology indicates that the prosthesis<br />
has a <strong>com</strong>puter processor on board, similar to<br />
a personal <strong>com</strong>puter, that reads inputs from<br />
sensors and then calculates adjustments to the<br />
prosthesis to ac<strong>com</strong>modate the wearer’s activities.<br />
The Advanced Prosthetics Center has a<br />
unique business model in which the <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
utilizes the latest in both prosthetic technology<br />
and fitting techniques and places a strong<br />
emphasis on specialized physical therapy. “We<br />
have learned that it is more difficult for a patient<br />
to benefit from advanced technology until<br />
they receive physical therapy from a gait and<br />
mobility specialist,” says Maguire.<br />
Ohio Willow Wood Fusion Foot<br />
Advanced Prosthetics recently integrated the<br />
Ohio Willow Wood OMEGA Tracer CAD-<br />
CAM system. The system features a one-of-akind<br />
“Alpha Design Liner” program. The new<br />
imaging system is more accurate than traditional<br />
plaster impression techniques and simplifies<br />
the initial process of prosthetic fabrication. It<br />
allows the <strong>com</strong>pany to capture a digital image<br />
of the limb, and manipulate the model as a 3-D<br />
image on a <strong>com</strong>puter screen.<br />
Most prosthetic feet are designed to provide<br />
specific characteristics, like vertical shock<br />
or inversion and eversion, but few prosthetic<br />
feet actually provide several characteristics in<br />
one package. Ohio Willow Wood has broken the<br />
mold with the development of their Fusion Foot,<br />
a prosthetic foot which provides a spectrum of<br />
key traits for maximum user <strong>com</strong>fort and performance.<br />
The Fusion Foot’s design allows the<br />
carbon fiber shank, heel and foot plate to work<br />
together through each step rather than independently,<br />
as is the case with traditional designs.<br />
Bob Arbogast, Ohio Willow Wood’s, president<br />
says, “Our thrust of new product development<br />
is to create products that improve the<br />
Fusion Foot by<br />
Ohio Willow Wood<br />
functionality and quality of life for amputees.<br />
Our research and development team studied the<br />
top-selling prosthetic feet to identify the core<br />
characteristics clinicians and amputees want<br />
in a prosthetic foot. Our team then designed<br />
a foot that delivers several of those core characteristics<br />
such as inversion/eversion, smooth<br />
heel-to-toe transition, and vertical shock absorption,<br />
rather than only one or two.”<br />
“While there are many other feet available<br />
on the market that provide multi-axial articulation<br />
and shock absorption, some are bulky,<br />
heavy and expensive,” said Jim Colvin, Ohio<br />
Willow Wood’s director of engineering. “It was<br />
our goal to develop a prosthetic foot that featured<br />
multi-axial articulation and shock absorption<br />
in a lightweight, <strong>com</strong>pact, customizable<br />
and affordable design. Clinical and laboratory<br />
results have shown that we were able to achieve<br />
this goal with our unique carbon <strong>com</strong>posite<br />
and bumper design. Key elements of the patent<br />
pending design are the toe and heel bumper assemblies,<br />
which suspend the carbon <strong>com</strong>posite<br />
foot shank above the foot plate, allowing for<br />
controlled articulation and shock absorption of<br />
the foot shank and a very natural gait.”<br />
X-System – Finger Device<br />
The X-System is a series of stainless steel<br />
<strong>com</strong>ponents that can be assembled into several<br />
hundred configurations of artificial hands.<br />
“When I first started this project, I developed<br />
a single finger device, which I called the<br />
X-Finger,” said Daniel Dean Didrick, Inventor<br />
and Designer, Didrick Medical Inc., Naples,<br />
FL. Each X-Finger is <strong>com</strong>prised of several<br />
<strong>com</strong>ponents that are fastened together. Each<br />
<strong>com</strong>ponent is attached to its corresponding<br />
<strong>com</strong>ponents, creating a reciprocally and transversely<br />
interconnected configuration of parts<br />
when <strong>com</strong>plete. This crisscross pattern of parts<br />
resembles Xs repeating; thereby, receiving the<br />
name X-Finger.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 65
Didrick then went on to develop a<br />
series of <strong>com</strong>ponents that can be assembled<br />
to stabilize from one to ten fingers<br />
depending on the user’s needs.<br />
Whether someone is missing one<br />
finger or all ten fingers, an assembly can<br />
be created to ac<strong>com</strong>modate their needs.<br />
“What makes the configurations of parts<br />
unique is that when applied, the user is<br />
able to control the movement of each<br />
replaced finger by simply moving their<br />
remnant finger,” said Didrick. “If an entire<br />
finger is missing, an opposing finger<br />
is able to control the device’s movement.<br />
If all of the fingers are missing the<br />
replaced digits can be connected to the<br />
palm. In these cases the movement of<br />
the palm in relation to the wrist controls<br />
66<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Microprocessor Knee & key fob used to<br />
adjust prosthesis to an activity specific<br />
setting. (Image courtesy of Advanced<br />
Prosthetics Center, LLC)<br />
the flexion and extension movements of<br />
each replaced finger.”<br />
Because there are no expensive<br />
electronics, the devices can be produced<br />
in mass quantity at a low cost. This<br />
will allow individuals from any economic<br />
background to benefit from the<br />
advancement. “Many of us have seen<br />
robot-like fingers moving on prosthetic<br />
hands. However, these devices were<br />
only available when someone had lost<br />
their entire hand,” said Didrick. There<br />
are many robotic prosthetic hands and<br />
arms available, but finger amputees had<br />
no functional prosthetic options available<br />
to them. When someone lost one<br />
through ten fingers, the only prosthetic<br />
option was to wear a silicone, non-bend-<br />
ing glove that resembles the appearance<br />
of the prior hand. These gloves or finger<br />
covers do not restore function, but<br />
rather mask the condition from others.<br />
While masking the condition may be a<br />
benefit offering an aesthetic gain, the X-<br />
System offers what the prosthetic industry<br />
terms active-function.<br />
Didrick Medical Inc. was contracted<br />
by the United States Department of<br />
Defense to develop the X-Thumb to<br />
<strong>com</strong>plement the <strong>com</strong>pany’s other devices.<br />
Today, every major insurance carrier<br />
in the U.S. has approved Didrick’s devices<br />
for their patients. For the past several<br />
years, he has been developing this<br />
technology to help a variety of patients.<br />
Now, the <strong>com</strong>pany is shifting gears and<br />
moving into mass-production enabling<br />
a larger patient body to use them. The<br />
X-Finger has been showcased in numerous<br />
museums including the United<br />
States Patent and Trademark Museum.<br />
SynTouch Technology<br />
Gerald E. Loeb, M.D., Professor of<br />
Biomedical Engineering, University of<br />
Southern California and Chief Executive<br />
Officer, SynTouch, LCC, is head of<br />
a research team at USC that has developed<br />
a mechatronic fingertip that provides<br />
a sense of touch similar to that of a<br />
human fingertip. It employs novel “biomimetic”<br />
design principles to achieve<br />
robustness, as well as high-sensitivity<br />
and dynamic range. The technology is<br />
being developed by a spin-off <strong>com</strong>pany,<br />
SynTouch LCC, for a wide range of<br />
applications, including, in addition to<br />
prosthetic hands, industrial robots and<br />
fruit-harvesting machines.<br />
Syntouch recently received Small<br />
Business Innovative Research (SBIR)<br />
grants from the United States National Institutes<br />
of Health, National Science Foundation<br />
and Department of Agriculture.<br />
Dr. Loeb noted that Syntouch is<br />
working only on the sensors themselves<br />
and their integration into the control of<br />
prosthetic and robotic hands. “We are<br />
working with various industrial partners<br />
who build the mechatronic hands<br />
and arms.”<br />
The DigiTAC fingertip has a rigid<br />
core, elastic skin and even a fingernail,<br />
similar to a human finger. The skin is<br />
inflated with a small amount of conduc-<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
tive fluid. Electrodes distributed over<br />
the surface of the core detect changes<br />
in electrical resistance resulting from<br />
distortions of the skin upon contact with<br />
objects and surfaces. A pressure sensor<br />
inside the core detects micro vibrations<br />
in the skin and fluid associated with slip<br />
over surfaces. A thermistor detects the<br />
temperature and heat flows associated<br />
with contacting objects made of various<br />
materials. All signal processing is<br />
done by electronic circuitry molded into<br />
the rigid core, where it is protected from<br />
the hostile environments in which hands<br />
are often used. The skin is molded from<br />
silicone rubber and is easily replaced<br />
when worn or damaged.<br />
Dr. Loeb explained, “The next<br />
challenge is to integrate this sensory<br />
information with the <strong>com</strong>mands from<br />
the operator. In some cases, this will<br />
require “haptic displays” that recreate<br />
the sensations of touch as now<br />
employed in advanced virtual reality<br />
systems. In other situations, the tactile<br />
information will be used automatically<br />
to adjust the grip, similar to the reflexes<br />
upon which humans rely to prevent<br />
slip.” Eventually, it should be possible<br />
for autonomous robots to identify and<br />
handle <strong>com</strong>mon tools and objects. At<br />
present, robots can handle objects only<br />
if they are well known and marked with<br />
visual identifiers of highly engineered<br />
attachment points.<br />
DARPA<br />
Defense Advanced Research Projects<br />
Agency (DARPA) is part of the Federal<br />
Government that falls under the Department<br />
of Defense. The DARPA prosthetics<br />
program is an ambitious effort to provide<br />
the most advanced medical and rehabilitative<br />
technologies for military personnel<br />
injured in the line of duty. DARPA<br />
is currently working on two different upper<br />
extremity prosethetic devices. Their<br />
research team has recently developed a<br />
prosthetic arm that is undergoing trials<br />
with the Department of Veterans Affairs.<br />
The Johns Hopkins University<br />
Applied Physics Laboratory is work-<br />
ing with DARPA, developing a different<br />
arm, which will be the first fully<br />
integrated prosthetic arm that can be<br />
controlled naturally, provide sensory<br />
feedback and allow for eight degrees of<br />
freedom – a level of control far beyond<br />
the current state of the art for prosthetic.<br />
(Each degree of freedom represents an<br />
independent field of motion such as up/<br />
down, left/right, forward/back, etc.)<br />
A spokesman for DARPA indicated<br />
that while there are many details left to<br />
coordinate, “participants in the Revolutionizing<br />
Prosthetics program along<br />
with several others throughout the prosthetics<br />
<strong>com</strong>munity appear to be working<br />
toward a major event early next year to<br />
detail successes in prosthetics across the<br />
board, as well major advancements in<br />
prosthetic arms resulting from clinical<br />
and home trials from a DARPA/Veterans<br />
Affairs collaborative effort.”<br />
This is certainly a situation where<br />
the lines blur between science and medicine<br />
to the advantage of everyone.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10019<br />
Britain's Prince Harry is greeted by Gulf War Veteran and Department<br />
of Veterans Affairs Intern Paul Yarbrough at the Department<br />
of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System Manhattan<br />
campus. Yarbrough is participating in tests of the DEKA Arm,<br />
an advanced artificial limb developed with DARPA funding.<br />
(Dept of Veterans Affairs Photo by Lamel Hinton)<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 67
The great inventor Thomas<br />
Edison was famously<br />
quoted as saying, “Genius<br />
is 1% inspiration and<br />
99% perspiration.” As<br />
was typically the case, he was probably<br />
onto something, but he forgot<br />
one part of that equation. It’s apparent<br />
if you are a regular reader of “Health<br />
Care Chronicles,” whether it’s the<br />
discovery of X-rays, anesthesia, or in<br />
this case, a drug that has saved thousands<br />
of lives, genius is a mix of inspiration,<br />
perspiration and having the<br />
good fortune to be in the right place at<br />
the right time.<br />
Based on biographical information,<br />
there’s no doubt Alexander Fleming<br />
definitely had genius. Fleming was<br />
skilled in most things he focused his attention<br />
on. As a young man, he excelled<br />
in academics as well as sports, being a<br />
respected marksman, water polo player<br />
and golfer. Perhaps the only things he<br />
didn’t excel at were being very free and<br />
open with acquaintances – even close<br />
friends never felt they truly knew him<br />
- and keeping a tidy lab. Still, this may<br />
have served to the benefit of mankind as<br />
it meant Fleming focused on his scientific<br />
work and that work in turn, led to<br />
one of the most important drug discoveries<br />
ever.<br />
In September of 1928, in Fleming’s<br />
untidy lab, a petri dish containing staphylococcus<br />
bacteria also became host to<br />
some opportunistic mold. Fleming noticed<br />
the staph colonies which had been<br />
nearest the growing mold were no longer<br />
there. Acting quickly, he cultivated<br />
the mold and introduced it into a new<br />
petri dish with fresh bacteria. Within<br />
68<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
This Month<br />
in Medical History<br />
For Penicillin, Persistence Pays<br />
days, he could see the mold was killing<br />
different varieties of bacteria within the<br />
dish. Taking his studies further, he used<br />
a sterile solution to dilute the mold six<br />
hundred times and tested the solution.<br />
To his surprise, the liquid still worked<br />
to kill bacteria.<br />
Fleming brought his findings to the<br />
Medical Research Club where they were<br />
ignored by his colleagues. Some may<br />
have been jealous that Fleming managed<br />
to act on an opportunity that they<br />
too had – but they hadn’t recognized it<br />
and had simply thrown-out petri dishes<br />
when they were infiltrated by mold.<br />
Still, Fleming realized his findings<br />
could serve as a great boon to the world,<br />
so he persisted and went on to publish a<br />
paper in the British Journal of Experimental<br />
Pathology where he wrote about<br />
the Penicillium mold.<br />
Again, his work was ignored, but<br />
Fleming pressed on. He presented more<br />
findings in 1936 at the Second International<br />
Congress of Microbiology. However,<br />
by this time, sulfa drugs were in<br />
fashion and again, little attention was<br />
paid to Fleming’s incredible discovery.<br />
In 1939, at the Third International Congress<br />
of Microbiology, Fleming learned<br />
of some American researchers attempting<br />
to further his work with penicillin.<br />
But, war was soon to breakout between<br />
Germany and England and Fleming cut<br />
his trip to the States short and headed<br />
back to England with his wife.<br />
Fleming wasn’t the only one travelling<br />
due to the war – Ernst Chain<br />
was a young Chemist who had fled<br />
Germany just after the Nazis took control.<br />
He settled at Oxford, and with the<br />
help of Australian pathologist Howard<br />
Florey, succeeded in creating a highly<br />
concentrated and pure form of penicillin.<br />
On May 25, 1940, the two injected<br />
the solution into four mice which had<br />
been infected with streptococci, leaving<br />
four others without treatment. The<br />
following morning, the injected mice<br />
were fine, while the untreated mice<br />
were dead. They went on to test their<br />
solution on humans who were dying of<br />
infection and received further promising<br />
results.<br />
A paper was published by the duo<br />
entitled, “Further Observations on<br />
Penicillin.” Through this paper, Fleming<br />
learned of the research, and realizing<br />
his work had finally been redeemed<br />
said, “You have made something of my<br />
substance.”<br />
In truth, his statement could hold<br />
multiple meanings.<br />
• Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10020<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Law<br />
& Order<br />
By Astrid Fiano, Esq.<br />
Federal: FTC Challenges Acquisitions by<br />
Carilion, Thoratec<br />
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has authorized a lawsuit<br />
to block Thoratec Corporation’s proposed $282 million<br />
acquisition of medical device maker HeartWare International,<br />
Inc. They also issued an administrative <strong>com</strong>plaint challenging<br />
Carilion Clinic’s 2008 acquisition of two outpatient clinics in<br />
the Roanoke, VA, area, according to FTC press releases.<br />
In the Throatec case, the FTC says the acquisition transaction<br />
would “substantially reduce” <strong>com</strong>petition in the U.S.<br />
market for left ventricular devices (LVADs). The FTC’s administrative<br />
<strong>com</strong>plaint alleges that Thoratec seeks to maintain<br />
its current monopoly by acquiring HeartWare, the only significant<br />
rival to Thoratec’s LVAD market dominance. The FTC<br />
plans to seek a preliminary injunction in federal court to stop<br />
the transaction and limit harm to <strong>com</strong>petition. The FTC says<br />
HeartWare’s device, the HVAD, is currently in clinical trials<br />
and is positioned to be the next FDA-approved LVAD.<br />
In the Carilion matter, the FTC notes that prior to acquisition<br />
the clinics in question—Center for Advanced Imaging<br />
(CAI) and the Center for Surgical Excellence (CSE)—“had<br />
strong reputations for offering high-quality care and convenient<br />
services at prices much lower than Carilion’s.” The<br />
FTC alleges Carilion’s acquisition of these outpatient centers<br />
eliminated vital <strong>com</strong>petition and will lead to higher health care<br />
costs. The <strong>com</strong>plaint seeks divestiture of the centers and related<br />
assets necessary in order to restore the <strong>com</strong>petition eliminated<br />
by the acquisition. A <strong>com</strong>plaint is not a finding or ruling<br />
that the defendants have actually violated the law.<br />
State: New North Carolina Law on Mental<br />
Health Facility Transparency<br />
North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue has signed legislation<br />
increasing the transparency of state mental health, developmental<br />
disability and substance abuse facilities, and making<br />
more information in death records public. According to the<br />
Governor’s press release, she had proposed the legislation in<br />
March with North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.<br />
“This legislation puts the safety of our patients first by ensuring<br />
that important information in death records is available to<br />
the public,” Governor Perdue said on her web site. “By increasing<br />
transparency, we will make state facilities more accountable<br />
to the people in their care, restore public confidence and rebuild<br />
public trust.” AG Cooper stated, “More disclosure can shine a<br />
light on problems and help ensure patients’ safety.”<br />
The legislation will require information regarding deaths<br />
in state facilities, such as the circumstances and manner of<br />
death, if known, to be public information. In addition, the records<br />
of criminal investigations conducted by any law enforcement<br />
unit of a State facility will be public record. The Secretary<br />
of the Department of Health and Human Services may<br />
also inform any person of any incident involving the welfare<br />
of a client, or former client, when the Secretary determines<br />
that the release of the information is essential to maintaining<br />
the integrity of the Department, unless disclosure is prohibited<br />
by State or federal law.<br />
National: Amendment Will Allow Study<br />
of Antidepressant Use and Suicide Rate<br />
Among Combat Troops<br />
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) has announced that<br />
the Senate has adopted his amendment 1475 to the National<br />
Defense Authorization Act. This amendment mandates a study<br />
of the increased use of antidepressants among <strong>com</strong>bat troops<br />
and the effect of these drugs on mental health. In a press release,<br />
Senator Cardin said his introduction of the Amendment<br />
is based upon the disturbing increase of suicides and attempted<br />
suicides in the active military.<br />
The senator stated: “It is imperative that we determine if<br />
the Department of Defense (DoD) is prescribing antidepressants<br />
to its service members appropriately, including the necessary<br />
observation by a highly trained mental health provider.<br />
My concern is not the long-term efficacy of these drugs, but<br />
the sheer volume and manner in which these drugs are being<br />
administered to our service men and women overseas.” The<br />
release says the Army’s Fifth Mental Health Advisory Team<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 69
2007 report indicated 12% of <strong>com</strong>bat troops in Iraq and 17%<br />
of troops in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants<br />
or sleeping pills to cope with stress. The senator added<br />
nearly 40% of Army suicide victims in 2006 and 2007 might<br />
have taken some type of antidepressant drugs.<br />
Senator Cardin’s amendment has directives for the DoD to<br />
record the volume and types of antidepressants, psychotropics<br />
or anti-anxiety drugs being prescribed to the men and women<br />
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The amendment will also<br />
require the DoD, starting in June of 2010 and then annually<br />
through 2015, to report to Congress an accurate percentage of<br />
those troops that have been prescribed such drugs.<br />
State: New York AG Announces Arrests in<br />
Medicaid Fraud<br />
New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has announced<br />
the indictment of six individuals and seven corporations<br />
charged in a Medicaid fraud scheme totaling $47,000,000.<br />
The AG’s press release says in the past ten years, Alexander<br />
Levy, assisted by several cohorts, allegedly secretly controlled<br />
a string of health care entities to both illegally obtain payment<br />
for Medicaid recipients’ treatment and also to launder the profits<br />
from the scheme. According to the press release, Levy had<br />
already been excluded from participation in Medicaid in 1997<br />
for submitting false claims.<br />
Levy had set up a series of corporations designed to conceal<br />
his control and ownership interest of various <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
and medical clinics, the AG’s release stated, and did not put<br />
his name on any documents filed with the New York State Department<br />
of Health. These <strong>com</strong>panies billed Medicaid for millions<br />
of dollars of services. The Medicaid money was directed<br />
to the Levy-controlled health care entities through a series of<br />
bank accounts and transfers, and funneled to shell <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
that he created and owned. Attorney General Cuomo has filed<br />
a civil forfeiture <strong>com</strong>plaint against Levy, his cohorts, and a<br />
total of 16 corporations.<br />
“This individual is accused of cheating New York taxpayers<br />
out of tens of millions of dollars through an elaborate money<br />
laundering scheme,” Attorney General Cuomo said. “But<br />
70<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
as we have done before, we ‘followed the money,’ which led<br />
us to today’s serious charges. Ensuring that Medicaid payouts<br />
are made only to those who rightfully deserve them has been<br />
a top priority of my administration.” The charges against the<br />
defendants are accusations, and the defendants are presumed<br />
innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.<br />
Federal: Nursing Home Executive Agrees<br />
to Permanent Exclusion<br />
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department<br />
of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced in a<br />
press release that the president and chairman of the board of<br />
Pleasant Care Corporation, Emmanuel Bernabe, has agreed to<br />
permanent exclusion from Federal health care programs. The<br />
exclusion follows an OIG investigation of Pleasant Care, concerning<br />
allegations of substandard care in Pleasant Care nursing<br />
facilities between 2003 and 2007.<br />
Pleasant Care once was the second largest nursing home<br />
chain in the State of California, with more than 29 different facilities<br />
in 14 counties. Currently, Pleasant Care does not manage any<br />
nursing facilities or provide patient services. Bernabe had contested<br />
OIG’s allegations and denied any liability. No judgment<br />
or finding of liability has been made against Bernabe. The OIG<br />
alleges in the press release that under Bernabe’s management,<br />
Pleasant Care placed nursing home residents at risk through the<br />
level of care failing to meet professionally recognized standards.<br />
This included inadequate hydration and nutrition, failing to administer<br />
appropriate wound care and inadequate staffing levels.<br />
“This settlement reflects our <strong>com</strong>mitment to ensuring that<br />
executives who are ultimately responsible for care furnished<br />
in nursing homes are held accountable when those homes<br />
fail to provide quality care,” said Inspector General Daniel R.<br />
Levinson, in the press release. “It is critical that boards and<br />
management make <strong>com</strong>pliance with professionally recognized<br />
standards of care a priority at all levels of their organizations.”<br />
State: Maine Enacts New Laws to Improve<br />
Health Care<br />
The state of Maine has recently enacted new laws to improve<br />
its state of medical care. In June, a law was enacted to increase<br />
transparency in the health insurance marketplace. Also, under<br />
a new law, Maine hospitals will perform targeted surveillance<br />
for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in high-risk<br />
populations consistent with the federal Centers for Disease<br />
Control and Prevention guidelines.<br />
In July, Governor John Baldacci signed legislation creating<br />
the Doctors for Maine’s Future Scholarship Program. This law<br />
provides a tuition subsidy for Maine residents to support their<br />
medical education at various state medical school programs.<br />
“We have a need for more primary care physicians and those<br />
who serve in rural areas of the State,” Baldacci said in a press<br />
release. “Research shows that doctors tend to settle near the hospitals<br />
where they <strong>com</strong>plete their training. I know that given the<br />
chance, young doctors will stay in Maine.” The tuition subsidy<br />
will cover half the cost of attendance annually up to $25,000 for<br />
eligible students in the medical school programs.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Baldacci also signed a law allowing pharmacists who meet<br />
certain requirements to administer several different vaccines,<br />
including influenza vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, tetanusdiphtheria-pertussis<br />
vaccine and others. “This bill expands access<br />
to important preventive health care services,” Governor<br />
Baldacci said in his press release. “In particular, I know the<br />
Maine Center for Disease Control supports the efforts to provide<br />
influenza vaccines to as many people as possible.”<br />
National: Senator Introduces Legislation to<br />
Ease Nationwide Nursing Shortage<br />
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has<br />
introduced legislation to remedy the U.S.’s nursing shortage<br />
which, according to the senator’s press release, is expected to<br />
exceed one million by 2020. The Nurse Training and Retention<br />
Act builds on the current health care workforce through<br />
creation incentives for health care workers to be<strong>com</strong>e nurses<br />
and for current nurses to be<strong>com</strong>e nurse faculty.<br />
“Everyone depends on nurses for quality patient care, yet<br />
the health care system in America lacks an adequate supply of<br />
nurses and the problem is getting worse,” said Senator Durbin<br />
in the press release. “By 2020, the shortage in Illinois alone<br />
could exceed 21,000. Today’s legislation proposes a new, innovative<br />
program that builds on our existing health care workforce<br />
– an important, but currently untapped resource. The<br />
debate in Congress over health care reform must include solutions<br />
that address this growing problem.”<br />
The new legislation would build upon the current health<br />
care workforce through a new grant program at the Department<br />
of Labor. It would also provide education and training to incumbent<br />
health care workers to earn a nursing certificate or degree.<br />
It would also assist current nurses in obtaining specialty training<br />
or advanced degrees to serve as nurse faculty, which increases<br />
the capacity of nursing schools to train more nurses.<br />
State: New Jersey Makes Tenth Arrest in<br />
Phony Dentist Case<br />
New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgrim reports that the<br />
Newark Police Department and investigators from the state Di-<br />
vision of Consumer Affairs’ Enforcement Bureau has arrested<br />
two men for unlicensed practice of dentistry, the ninth and tenth<br />
such arrests in New Jersey in the past year. A press release on the<br />
AG’s website says Carlos Bello and Aristoteles Berenzon were<br />
arrested and charged with unlicensed practice of dentistry.<br />
The AG’s web site says that such unlicensed “dentists”<br />
operate out of residences, basements and dental laboratories.<br />
They have performed dental procedures and also administered<br />
prescription medications by both injection and dispensing<br />
drugs. These treatments have led to injuries for patients, including<br />
broken teeth, infections and unconsciousness. The prior<br />
undercover investigations resulted in arrests for unlicensed<br />
practice of dentistry, possession of a prescription legend drug,<br />
obtaining prescription drugs without a prescription, possession<br />
of hypodermic syringes and possession of a Controlled<br />
Dangerous Substance.<br />
“Our Enforcement Bureau investigators are teaming up<br />
with local police departments to shut these so-called ‘dentists’<br />
down. The public’s health, safety and welfare is clearly being<br />
put at risk when unlicensed individuals attempt to practice<br />
dentistry,” Attorney General Anne Milgram said in the press<br />
release. “The licensing requirements established by the Board<br />
of Dentistry ensure that those treating patients have the education<br />
and skills to do so,” David Szuchman, Consumer Affairs<br />
Director, added.<br />
National: Congresswoman Introduces Community-Based<br />
Health Care Retraining Act<br />
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced<br />
the Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act. The legislation<br />
would fund programs to retrain displaced workers<br />
for careers in health care jobs. The Act would also amend the<br />
Workforce Investment Act to provide $25 million in funding<br />
for qualifying <strong>com</strong>munity partnerships to either create retraining<br />
programs or expand those already in existence. The bill<br />
has been referred to the Committee on Education and Labor<br />
and to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.<br />
“Displaced workers in the manufacturing, construction<br />
and service sectors need jobs, particularly now, during the<br />
most severe economic downturn in decades,” Congresswoman<br />
Johnson said in a press release on her web site. “While some<br />
industries continue to contract, the health services sector remains<br />
robust. Funding programs that retrain workers for the<br />
health care professions is not only the right thing to do; it’s the<br />
smart thing to do.”<br />
The project would create grants to eligible entities in order<br />
to pay for the Federal share of the cost to enable the entities to<br />
carry out programs, in covered <strong>com</strong>munities, to train covered<br />
workers for employment as health care professionals. The grants<br />
would each be between $100,000 and $500,000 for a period of<br />
five years. Eligible entities would include local workforce investment<br />
boards serving the covered <strong>com</strong>munities and institutions<br />
of higher education in partnership with facilities including<br />
health clinics, hospitals and long-term care facilities.<br />
•<br />
Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10021<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 71
72<br />
old into gold<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Premium Auction Success Stories<br />
Auction # 8834<br />
Mobile CT Scanner<br />
A veterinary clinic out of Virginia had<br />
a 1993 Picker 2000S CT in a 1991 GM<br />
Calumet RV that was previously used<br />
by a doctor who no longer worked at the<br />
facility. The equipment was no longer<br />
in use and had been sitting on their lot<br />
for eight months. The facility decided it<br />
was time to attempt to sell the unit with<br />
hopes of recouping a small amount for<br />
their troubles, somewhere in the range<br />
of $5,000 to $9,000.<br />
A <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong> Auction Specialist,<br />
Colm Ford, spoke with the facility<br />
and explained the benefits of allowing<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> to manage the unit in an auction<br />
for them.<br />
After just the first Auction cycle,<br />
the Auction closed successfully for<br />
$17,000.<br />
The facility received more than<br />
double what they were initially hoping<br />
to receive for the equipment while a<br />
buyer got the equipment he was looking<br />
to purchase. In the end, two facilities<br />
were well-served. The first received ad-<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
ditional revenue and the second is now<br />
better-equipped to serve clients.<br />
Auction #8789<br />
2002 Siemens Nova 3000<br />
Mammo Unit<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Regional Manager, Brett Foley,<br />
visited JPS Health Network located<br />
in Fort Worth, TX.<br />
After meeting Robert Michel of<br />
JPS, Brett soon discovered they had a<br />
2002 Siemens Nova 3000 Mammo unit<br />
that they no longer needed. JPS was<br />
interested in selling the equipment but<br />
was unsure of how to do so.<br />
Brett explained how the <strong>DOTmed</strong><br />
Full-Service Managed Auctions worked.<br />
He also explained how <strong>DOTmed</strong> Full-<br />
Service Managed Auctions reached the<br />
largest qualified audience that would be<br />
interested in the equipment he wanted<br />
to sell. Robert agreed to give it a try.<br />
Brett gathered the photos and<br />
specifications of the unit. He then provided<br />
this information to Auction team<br />
at <strong>DOTmed</strong> headquarters in New York.<br />
The team created an Auction for the<br />
You Can Auction Online!<br />
Learn how easy it is to turn your idle<br />
assets and used equipment into cash.<br />
Call 212-742-1200 Ext. 296<br />
Ask about <strong>DOTmed</strong>’s Full-Service Auctions –<br />
“We Do The Work, You Get The Money.”<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong><br />
equipment and began marketing the<br />
Auction to potential buyers.<br />
Within the first Auction cycle, the<br />
Auction received seven bids, but all<br />
were below the reserve price. Instead<br />
of repeating the Auction cycle, Online<br />
Auction Specialist, Mark Colavecchio,<br />
spoke with Robert and it was decided to<br />
relaunch the Auction with a “Purchase<br />
It” price of $3500. Within minutes, a<br />
bidder from Romania exercised the<br />
“Purchase It” option which ended the<br />
Auction.<br />
Mr. Colavecchio worked with the<br />
Successful Bidder on locating <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
who could deinstall, crate, and<br />
ship to Romania. Both the seller and<br />
the buyer are very happy with the ease<br />
of the process and how <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong><br />
is willing to do what it takes to provide<br />
service excellence.<br />
Auction #8850<br />
Biodex Complete Hot Lab<br />
Don Heine, the owner of a Private Practice,<br />
contacted <strong>DOTmed</strong> looking to sell<br />
his equipment quickly. He had recently<br />
closed his practice and was looking to<br />
sell his equipment before moving.<br />
Previous efforts made by Heine<br />
proved unsuccessful – he had not received<br />
any offers and was told his Hot<br />
Lab equipment was almost worthless.<br />
However, by running his equipment<br />
twice in a <strong>DOTmed</strong> Auction, he was<br />
able to sell the equipment for $8,500 –<br />
hardly worthless.<br />
Due to the great success of the Sale<br />
he has also agreed to sell his Nuclear<br />
Gamma Camera through a <strong>DOTmed</strong><br />
Auction as well. It quickly received an<br />
offer of $6,000; much higher than any<br />
offer he had received by a broker. The<br />
Auction will continue to run until he<br />
moves on with a heavier wallet and a<br />
weight off his shoulders.<br />
•<br />
Online: dotmed.<strong>com</strong>/dm10022<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
…To Your Phone And Call Us Today!<br />
Get top dollar for your Siemens MRI or CT<br />
�����������������������������������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������<br />
�����������������������������<br />
�����������������������<br />
��������������������������<br />
Owen Kane Holdings, Inc.<br />
29 Broadway, New York, NY 10006<br />
owenkane.<strong>com</strong><br />
info@owenkane.<strong>com</strong><br />
P: 212-558-6600<br />
F: 212-558-6615
marketplace & classifieds<br />
74<br />
These are some of the more than 100,000 listings on www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong> on any given day.<br />
HIGH QUALITY<br />
ULTRASOUND AND<br />
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT<br />
� Worldwide wholesaler and distributor<br />
� Comprehensive sourcing, technical support, and<br />
��������������<br />
� ���������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
� ����������������������<br />
888-88-IMAGE (46243)<br />
kpiultrasound.<strong>com</strong><br />
New, Demo and<br />
�������������<br />
Ultrasound Systems<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
MEDICAL SALES & SERVICES<br />
Medical Sales & Services, page 74<br />
Equipment for Sale, page 78<br />
INVENTORY SOLUTIONS, INC.<br />
Specializing in Refurbished Respiratory Products<br />
APNEA MONITORS<br />
CAS<br />
Respironics<br />
Aequitron<br />
PULSE OXIMETERS<br />
BCI<br />
Nonin<br />
Respironics<br />
Nellcor<br />
CPM UNITS<br />
Smith Nephew<br />
Breg<br />
Danninger<br />
Chattanooga<br />
O2 CYLINDERS<br />
Steel H,M<br />
Alum C,D,E,M6 M60<br />
LIQUID OXYGEN<br />
EQUIPMENT<br />
Puritan Bennett<br />
Caire<br />
Helios<br />
HOMEFILL SYSTEMS<br />
Invacare<br />
PHOTOTHERAPY<br />
Wallaby<br />
Ohmeda<br />
CONCENTRATORS<br />
Airsep<br />
Invacare<br />
Respironics<br />
VENTILATORS<br />
Pulmonetics<br />
Lifecare<br />
Puritan Bennett<br />
Aequitron<br />
WE SELL AND BUY<br />
Please Call<br />
866-446-8765<br />
Register On Our Website<br />
For Monthly Specials<br />
ad 0708:Layout 1 5/29/2008 3:42 PM Page<br />
www.e-inventorysolutions.<strong>com</strong><br />
Whatever your imaging needs,<br />
we have the perfect solution.<br />
Medical Imaging:<br />
● Product & Parts Sales<br />
● Equipment Maintenance<br />
● Equipment Repairs & Service<br />
● Consultations<br />
Special MRI Services:<br />
● Cable & Connector repair / replacement<br />
● Cold Head System repairs<br />
● De<strong>com</strong>issioning<br />
● Liquid Helium / Cryofill servicing<br />
● Mechanical <strong>com</strong>ponent repair<br />
● Electronic <strong>com</strong>ponent repairs<br />
● Installation / Deinstallation<br />
● Magnet Cool Down / Storage<br />
● Replacement consumables<br />
8350 NW 66 Street<br />
Miami, FL 33166<br />
(786)942-0421<br />
info@dmesc.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.dmesc.<strong>com</strong><br />
INSIDE ThE CLASSIfIEDS<br />
Employment Opportunities, page 79<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Engineering & Network<br />
Systems, Inc.<br />
MRI, CT, and X-Ray Sales & Service<br />
We specialize in:<br />
� Multi-Vendor Service<br />
� Magnet Cooldowns<br />
� Magnet Ramping and Shimming<br />
� Cold Magnet Storage<br />
� Coldhead Change & Compressor<br />
1-877-435-0933<br />
www.enginetsystems.<strong>com</strong><br />
The Highest Quality Service for<br />
Your Medical Imaging Needs.<br />
MRI Services:<br />
Magnet Support/Cold Heads<br />
Installs/Repairs/De-Installs<br />
MRI Relocation & Quench Recovery<br />
Cryogen Fills & System Upgrades<br />
CT Services:<br />
CT Relocation Services<br />
Maintenance Agreements<br />
Installs/Repairs/De-Installs<br />
Tube Changes & System Upgrades<br />
Polaris Medical Imaging<br />
P.O. Box 35438, Houston, TX 77235<br />
(866) 779-9831<br />
chrise@polarismedicalimaging.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.polarismedicalimaging.net<br />
MEDICAL SALES & SERVICES<br />
Mobile Combination<br />
Cath/Angio Labs For Rent<br />
• Our fleet of labs is available for long or short-term needs.<br />
• MMI’s Cardiac Cath Labs have MacLab 7000<br />
hemodynamic monitoring on-board.<br />
• The labs have both filmless and PACS <strong>com</strong>patibility.<br />
MMI Since 1983<br />
404 Elm Tree Lane<br />
Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061<br />
www.mmimedical.<strong>com</strong><br />
got parts?<br />
Balloon Pump:<br />
ContactJohn Froemke:<br />
800-999-4MMI (4664)<br />
John.Froemke@mmimedical.<strong>com</strong><br />
A.C.M.I. is your 1st choice for pre-owned<br />
MRI, CT and X-ray parts!<br />
All our parts are tested and ready for shipment today.<br />
������������������������������������������������<br />
We are available 24/7 for all your part needs.<br />
A.C.M.I. also has full systems available today.<br />
��������������������������������<br />
������������������<br />
�����������������<br />
www.acmiparts.<strong>com</strong><br />
665498 - ARROW ACAT-1 PLUS Balloon<br />
Pump $19,275<br />
TELEFLEX MEDICAL/ARROW INT'L<br />
ACAT1 PLUS INTRA-AORTIC BALLOON<br />
PUMP; EXCELLENT C. BRIAN WARD,<br />
OZARK PRODUCTS, 405-627-8853<br />
BiPAP:<br />
692140 - SULLIVAN vpap 11 & vpap st<br />
BiPAP $260<br />
8 no. nikhil sharma, neha lakhi healthcare,<br />
9983195311<br />
Install & Deinstall<br />
������������������<br />
�������������������������<br />
�����������������������������<br />
�����������������������������<br />
���������������������<br />
��������������������������������<br />
�������������������������<br />
���������������������������<br />
�������������������������������l<br />
2900 Tuxedo Ave<br />
West Palm Beach , FL 33405<br />
561-683-5000<br />
800-327-2631<br />
SRLewisBTS@aol.<strong>com</strong><br />
ND MEDICA, Inc.<br />
Simple and Effective Solutions That Make<br />
Your Life Better<br />
Wholesale prices on:<br />
� Agfa, Carestream Health,<br />
Codonics, Sony<br />
X-Ray Films and Printers<br />
� GE<br />
Ultrasound Machines and Transducers<br />
(Brand New and Refurbished)<br />
� Medrad<br />
CT Syringes (less expensive non-OEM<br />
<strong>com</strong>patible versions are available as well)<br />
We work with your budget!<br />
���������������������������������<br />
����������������������������<br />
����������������<br />
For more information please<br />
contact our sales team at:<br />
678-261-5763<br />
sales@ndmedica.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.ndmedica.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 75
76<br />
We do it better... Worldwide!<br />
PHILIPS MEDICAL<br />
EQUIPMENT AND ALL<br />
SPARE PARTS<br />
Worldwide leaders in Sales and<br />
Service for Philips refurbished imaging<br />
equipment and all spare parts!<br />
��Philips<br />
Mx8000 and Brilliance CT<br />
Systems (2, 4, 16, 40, 64, slices)<br />
��Philips<br />
and GE- MRI Systems<br />
(1.0t, 1.5t)<br />
� Philips and GE- Nuclear Gamma<br />
Camera Systems<br />
��Philips,<br />
GE, Aloka- Ultrasound<br />
Systems with Probe<br />
��All<br />
Philips and Picker Spare<br />
Parts and X-Ray Tubes<br />
Please contact for pricing and detailed info<br />
www.ElsMed.<strong>com</strong><br />
ElsMed Ltd. Inc.<br />
6 Hamachtesh St.<br />
Holon, Israel 58810<br />
Tel: 972-3-558-4839<br />
Fax: 972-3-558-9858<br />
��������������������������<br />
�������������������<br />
����������������<br />
���������������������<br />
�����������������<br />
�������������������<br />
�����������������<br />
Relaxation Inc.<br />
14280 Carlson Circle<br />
Tampa, Florida 33626<br />
Tel: 813-925-1314<br />
Fax: 813-925-1725<br />
���������������<br />
������<br />
��������<br />
������<br />
������������<br />
�������������<br />
����������������<br />
For more information, please contact:<br />
Julie Gutterman<br />
PULSEConsultants<br />
513-646-3064<br />
info@pulseconsultants.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.pulseconsultants.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
MEDICAL SALES & SERVICES<br />
Cardiac - Vascular Ultrasound:<br />
Lease Financing<br />
for Equipment and<br />
Equipment Consulting/<br />
Locating Services<br />
�����������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������������<br />
��������������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������<br />
��������������������������������������<br />
���������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������������<br />
������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������������������<br />
�����������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
���������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
������������������������������������<br />
������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������������������<br />
��������������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������<br />
Call Steve Foos directly at 530-247-3821<br />
or e-mail: equiplease@yahoo.<strong>com</strong><br />
Ambrose Rigging<br />
Medical Equipment Specialists<br />
When your medical equipment needs<br />
the utmost care in rigging, removal and<br />
installation, Ambrose Rigging is your<br />
one stop shop for medical excellence!<br />
● De-installations<br />
● Installations<br />
● Removal of old Rooms<br />
● New Deliveries<br />
● Relocations<br />
● Cold MRI Storage<br />
www.ambroserigging.<strong>com</strong><br />
215-674-9232<br />
675659 - SONOSITE Micromaxx Cardiac -<br />
Vascular Ultrasound $13,500<br />
SONOSITE MICROMAXX SYSTEM Excellent<br />
condition, still under warranty until Sep<br />
2012 Sonosite Micromaxx Ultrasound System<br />
. Annie Denegri Spiers, Ideas Design,<br />
5164292957<br />
PROTON<br />
SERVICES INCORPORATED<br />
776 Jernee Mill Road, Suite 120<br />
Sayreville, NJ 08872<br />
1 800 793-0190 Fax 732 238-1225<br />
www.prosvcs.<strong>com</strong> info@prosvcs.<strong>com</strong><br />
���������������������������������<br />
customers for choosing Proton<br />
We install, sell and service all types of whole<br />
body diagnostic imaging scanners in<br />
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,<br />
Florida, and Eastern Pennsylvania.<br />
We now directly repair and asset manage<br />
the following modalities:<br />
MRI<br />
CT<br />
X-Ray<br />
R&F<br />
Bone Densitometry<br />
Mammography<br />
Ultrasound<br />
(we cover most manufacturers, please call for details)<br />
We also service:<br />
Chillers, Cameras, Processors,<br />
and MRI Coils<br />
We correct chronic and intermittant imaging<br />
hardware problems, software problems,<br />
application problems, and assist with<br />
ACR Accreditations.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
When You Need to Move Your<br />
Mobile Imaging Units<br />
Call Sage Point Transport.<br />
Cosmetic General:<br />
663950 - ShARP & BOTANICA Delta<br />
T face Lift System Cosmetic General<br />
$6,500 NEW Delta T Face Lift System by<br />
Sharp&Botanica Slr, Italy is a a non-invasive<br />
. Helen Mephis, Enigma International<br />
Inc., 215-717-7117<br />
home Care Bed:<br />
688482 - KCI for Sale 40540 h home<br />
Care Bed $2,000 Item listed is a Tri-cell<br />
Low Pressure Therapeutic Relief Mattress<br />
for a perso. Dee Jamieson, Caregiver,<br />
541-546-6117<br />
Laser - Radio frequency (Rf):<br />
688555 - ALMA accent Laser - Radio<br />
frequency (Rf) $31,000 Accent is a<br />
non-invasive, non-ablative, radiofrequency<br />
technology for cellulite reduction. maria<br />
bermudez, skin clinic, 0115716115148<br />
Liposuction Unit:<br />
Experienced.<br />
Fully-trained.<br />
Insured.<br />
Sage Point is one of the largest and most experienced<br />
medical trailer carriers in the nation.<br />
Our drivers are fully-trained to transport PET/CTs and<br />
all imaging equipment. We provide <strong>com</strong>prehensive<br />
transport,maintenance and storage.<br />
www.sage-point.<strong>com</strong><br />
POWER UP TO EXCELLENCE<br />
Call 888-466-SAGE (7243)<br />
684489 - CYNOSURE SmartLipo 10W<br />
Liposuction Unit FOR SALE - CYNO-<br />
SURE SmartLipo 10 WATT Laser Guided<br />
Liposuction Unit 2007 Model Cynosure<br />
SmartLipo. Helen Mephis, Enigma International<br />
Inc., 215-717-7117<br />
MEDICAL SALES & SERVICES<br />
Advanced, Fully-Optioned<br />
Mobile CTs.<br />
Reasonable Rates for Long<br />
& Short-Term Rental.<br />
MRI Coldhead:<br />
89376 - LEYBOLD RGD5100 Cold head<br />
MRI Coldhead<br />
Remanufactured to original specifications.<br />
Marc Fessler, Independence Cryogenic<br />
Engineering, 609-294-0012<br />
Phacoemulsifier:<br />
664255 - BAUSCh & LOMB MILLENNIUM<br />
MILLENIUM Phacoemulsifier $8,875<br />
PRE-OWNED BAUSCH&LOMB/STORZ<br />
MILLENNIUM MICROSURGICAL VITREO-<br />
RETINAL PHACO SYSTEM; ANTERIOR<br />
ONLY; UNIT HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY<br />
BAUSCH&LOMB; EXC COND. BRIAN<br />
WARD, OZARK PRODUCTS, 405-627-8853<br />
Spirometer:<br />
SIEMENS � GE�� TOSHIBA � PHILIPS<br />
� High-End CT & Trailer Rentals<br />
� Complex Project Management<br />
� Turnkey Solutions<br />
� Full-Service Provider<br />
847.489.7056<br />
mobilescanimaging.<strong>com</strong><br />
677972 - COSMED PONY Spirometer $1,990<br />
Brand New! Distributor Price. Oswaldo Guio,<br />
Let Medical, 305 822 8999<br />
Serving the<br />
Industry on a<br />
Silver Platter<br />
A Full Service Logistics & Transportation Company<br />
www.solutionservices.us<br />
732.657.7777<br />
info@solutionservices.us<br />
Equipment | Service<br />
Parts & Mobiles<br />
Radiology | Oncology | Veterinary<br />
� Full System Sales<br />
� Single & Multi-Slice CT<br />
� Customized Service Solutions<br />
� Mobile Solutions<br />
� GE CT Parts<br />
� X-Ray Tubes<br />
Eclipse Medical Imaging<br />
866.EMI.SCAN<br />
www.emimaging.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 77
78<br />
Quality Systems<br />
Ready to Ship Now.<br />
● 2005 Siemens Sensation 64<br />
● 2003 Siemens Sensation 16<br />
● 1999 GE 1.5T EchoSpeed Mobile<br />
● 2000 Philips AcQsim<br />
● 2007 Siemens 1.5T Symphony<br />
● 2006 Toshiba Opart Ultra<br />
● 2005 GE LightSpeed Ultra 8<br />
● 2003 Philips MX 8000 IDT 16<br />
● 2003 GE LightSpeed 16<br />
● 2000 Toshiba Aquillion 4<br />
Call for a Quote today: 732-262-3115<br />
The Best There Is.<br />
www.nationwideimaging.<strong>com</strong><br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
Accurate,<br />
Clear,<br />
Diligent,<br />
Insightful.<br />
Turnkeough Corporation provides turnkey<br />
consulting solutions including:<br />
�����������������<br />
��������������������<br />
�������������<br />
������������������<br />
����������<br />
Visit www.<strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong><br />
EQUIPMENT fOR SALE<br />
To all sectors of the healthcare industry.<br />
TurnKeough Corporation<br />
708.345.0542<br />
paul.keough@turnkeough.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.turnkeough.<strong>com</strong><br />
Mobile<br />
Siemens<br />
Symphony<br />
1.5T MRI<br />
must be inworking<br />
condition<br />
Email: info@owenkane.<strong>com</strong><br />
or Call 212-558-6600<br />
Owen Kane Holdings, Inc.<br />
29 Broadway<br />
New York, NY 10006<br />
owenkane.<strong>com</strong><br />
Classifieds Rate Card<br />
4 lines: $100<br />
8 lines: $175<br />
16 lines: $325<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
MANAGEMENT/EXECUTIVE<br />
653161 – Executive Administration,<br />
Arizona<br />
Chief Financial Officer for small critical<br />
access hospital. Must have 3-5 years<br />
hospital CFO mngt exper. Phil Armfield,<br />
Staffpointe, 888-333-4585<br />
PhYSICIAN<br />
658913 – Internal Medicine, Michigan<br />
Health system recruiting for IM physician<br />
for inpatient and outpatient work - all situations<br />
considered.<br />
Phillip O'Jibway, ASA Partners,<br />
248-357-1426 x11<br />
687961 – Surgical Position, California<br />
Outstanding locums and locums to perm<br />
opportunity - earn guaranteed extra in<strong>com</strong>e<br />
each month. Matt Young, Onxy M.D.<br />
Locum Tenens Placment, 303-282-1520<br />
666859 – hospitalist Position, Illinois,<br />
$110-120/hr<br />
Hospitalist coverage needed around St<br />
Louis,on the Illinois side. BC/BE in Internal<br />
Medicine<br />
Shumit Ahmed, Alliance Recruiting Resources,<br />
800-759-8203 x1152<br />
NURSING<br />
671399 – Neonatal Position, Virginia,<br />
Competitive<br />
NNP - Grow with a nationally recognized<br />
university based facility in state of the art<br />
40 bed, LIII NICU<br />
Tim Scally, ENSEARCH Management<br />
Consultants, 888-667-5627<br />
AdVERTISER INDEX<br />
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES<br />
TEChNICIAN/TEChNOLOGIST<br />
596174 – Mammo Administration, Seattle,<br />
WA (suburbs)<br />
ARRT, Hospital, High Volume Breast Center<br />
Full Time Position. Great Pay ~ Great Benefits<br />
~ Flex Time! Lisa Okes, XRAYZ 4U,<br />
866-232-8822<br />
676594 – Radiology Technologist,<br />
Montana<br />
CT/X-Ray/Mamo Technologist to work in<br />
Critical Access Hospital.<br />
MagnaServ is a nationwide ISO<br />
specializing in MRI and CT modalities.<br />
MagnaServ is currently seeking Field Service<br />
Professionals with 5 or more years of experience<br />
for employment opportunities in various markets.<br />
MagnaServ offers a <strong>com</strong>petitive salary and<br />
benefits package that includes: car allowance,<br />
medical, dental, vision, life, and 401K.<br />
Please email or fax your resume in confidence,<br />
or fill out our application online.<br />
2862 S.E. Monroe Street, Stuart, FL 34997<br />
Parts: 772-219-2229 ● Fax: 772-283-2450<br />
Office: 772-283-4288<br />
employment@magnaserv.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.magnaserv.<strong>com</strong><br />
THE TECHNICAL RESUMEBANK<br />
NATIONWIDE OPPORTUNITIES<br />
BIOMEDICAL & RADIOLOGY<br />
ADVERTISER PAGE ADVERTISER PAGE<br />
A.C.M.I. www.acmiparts.<strong>com</strong> 26<br />
AFC Industries, Inc. www.afcindustries.<strong>com</strong> 15<br />
Amber Diagnostics www.amberusa.<strong>com</strong> 8<br />
Anda Medical www.andamedical.<strong>com</strong> 9<br />
Atlantis Worldwide, LLC www.atlantisworldwide.<strong>com</strong> 11<br />
Atlas Medical Technologies www.atlasmedtec.<strong>com</strong> 22<br />
Bay Shore Medical, LLC www.bayshore-medical.<strong>com</strong> 27<br />
Beacon Surgical www.beaconsurgical.<strong>com</strong> 51<br />
Complete Medical Services www.<strong>com</strong>pletemedicalservices.<strong>com</strong> 6<br />
Creative Foam Medical Systems www.creativefoammedicalsystems.<strong>com</strong> 28<br />
Dimplex Thermal Solutions www.dimplexthermal.<strong>com</strong> 43<br />
Dunlee, Inc. www.dunlee.<strong>com</strong> Inside Front Cover<br />
ETS-Lindgren www.ets-lindgren.<strong>com</strong> 30<br />
Health Connect Partners, Inc. www.hlthcp.<strong>com</strong> 34<br />
IDN Summit and Expo www.idnsummit.<strong>com</strong> 36<br />
Imprex International, Inc. www.imprex.net 24<br />
Integrity Medical Systems, Inc. www.integritymed.<strong>com</strong> 14<br />
Association of Medical<br />
Service Providers<br />
Our mission is to provide superior products and<br />
services to our customers through a network<br />
of local Independent Service Organizations.<br />
We provide AMSP members the support of one<br />
of the largest and most technically <strong>com</strong>petent<br />
national service organizations in the country.<br />
FSE Employment Opportunities<br />
Looking to employ MRI, CT and X-ray field<br />
service engineers. Benefits include:<br />
���������������<br />
��������������������������<br />
������������������<br />
���������������<br />
���������������<br />
������������������������������������<br />
region of the country<br />
Please upload your resume on the<br />
AMSP web site<br />
www.amsp.net<br />
MagnaServ, Inc. www.magnaserv.<strong>com</strong> 5<br />
Marston Technical Service Inc www.marstontechnical.<strong>com</strong> 13<br />
Med-E-Quip Locators, Inc. www.meql.<strong>com</strong> 52<br />
Medical Imaging Resources www.medimagingsales.<strong>com</strong> 29<br />
MEDRAD Multi Vendor Service www.medrad.<strong>com</strong>/mvs 7<br />
Metropolis International www.metropolismedical.<strong>com</strong> 12<br />
Nationwide Imaging Services, Inc. www.nationwideimaging.<strong>com</strong> 3<br />
Owen Kane Holdings, Inc. www.owenkane.<strong>com</strong> 73<br />
Oxford Instruments www.oxford-instruments.<strong>com</strong>/proserve 23,44<br />
Powersource Transportation, Inc. www.powersourcetrans.<strong>com</strong> 57<br />
ReMedPar, Inc. www.remedpar.<strong>com</strong> Inside Back Cover<br />
Sage Point Transport, LLC www.sage-point.<strong>com</strong> 56<br />
Texas Medical Mobile Services www.mri-mobile.<strong>com</strong> 55<br />
Unfors Instruments, Inc. www.unfors.<strong>com</strong> 4<br />
Varian Medical Systems, Inc. www.varian.<strong>com</strong>/interay Back Cover<br />
Viable Med Services, Inc. www.viablemed.net 25<br />
To view these <strong>com</strong>panies equipment inventory visit <strong>DOTmed</strong>.<strong>com</strong>/Services and type in the <strong>com</strong>pany name.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009 79
IMAGING<br />
PICKER CT Mobile Premier XT This is a 1994<br />
Picker Premier XT Mobile CT Scanner: 38ft<br />
self-propelled Calumet Coach with 1994 IQ<br />
Premier Xtra Scanner. Comes with spare tube<br />
and parts scanner, generator (250 hrs) and all<br />
working environmentals. Ideal for overseas or<br />
Veterinary Scanner. The Calumet coach is a<br />
1981 Hendrickson, 33,000lbs. It is in drivable<br />
shape and is registered with the MN DOT.<br />
I believe there are two rear tires that need<br />
replacement, but otherwise it’s in good shape.<br />
The mileage when purchased was 247,639,<br />
and 1,000 or 1,200 has since been added. I<br />
believe the engine is CAT 3208 diesel, and it<br />
started right up after not being started for a few<br />
months. It has functioning hydraulic levelers.<br />
The gate lift is also fully functional. The generator<br />
is fully functional is for HVAC only. It is a<br />
fully functional CT scanner and drivable truck.<br />
We use the scanner a few times per month,<br />
although we rarely need to move the coach.<br />
Auction 5337 – sold for a veterinarian in Minnesota,<br />
$15,000.<br />
PHILIPS Angio Lab INTEGRIS BN5000 This<br />
is a PHILIPS INTEGRIS BN5000/MRC-GS<br />
BI-PLANE SPECIAL PROCEDURE SUITE.<br />
This System is Diamond Select, which means<br />
it was refurbished by Philips and has all new<br />
glass and image intensifiers as of 2006. It was<br />
originally a 2001 unit, but has gone through<br />
the Philips production line and is essentially<br />
a 2006. The tubes alone are approximately<br />
$180,000/each, but you can purchase this unit<br />
for a fraction of that cost. This system was<br />
upgraded with 3D software and new Cameras.<br />
Both X-ray tubes were replaced when the system<br />
was refurbished, with less than two studies<br />
per week since the System was installed. The<br />
System was installed in April of 2006 and has<br />
rarely been used. Specifications: -15” Frontal,<br />
12” Lateral, 4 and 5 mode Image Intensfiers<br />
-4, 21” FIMI monitors, 1 21” color Exam Room<br />
monitor -XTV-16 CCD camera system -S/W<br />
options: -Vascular Quant -Coronary Quant<br />
-Ventricular Quant -Bolus chase -High speed<br />
Di<strong>com</strong> I/F,RIS,Wl -3D RA package Allura rel<br />
4.2 -Rotational Angio -CO2 View Trace -Swivel<br />
table base -Lead shield -Power Part Generator,<br />
SCP80 converter generator The original cost for<br />
this system was $800,000. Auction 5542 - sold<br />
for a hospital in Georgia, $37,500.<br />
GE Shared Service LOT of Six: Five GE Logiq<br />
700 MR and One Acuson 128 This is a LOT of<br />
five GE Logiq 700 Shared Service Ultrasound<br />
machines and one Acuson 128 Ultrasound.<br />
These systems have been inspected. All seem<br />
to be in working condition. The engineer was<br />
not able to inspect the L312 and I5-198 Probes<br />
for the Aucson properly because it was missing<br />
software. One of the Logiq’s probe ports is<br />
not in working condition. Basically, you cannot<br />
80<br />
blue book price guide<br />
Recent equipment and parts auctions on <strong>DOTmed</strong> with actual for-sale prices.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong>business news I s e p t e m b e r 2009<br />
plug a probe into this port, the other three<br />
are working properly. #1 (pictured) Logiq 700<br />
MR: Model 46-312100G1, SN 2606US2, DOM<br />
Apr 1994, Software with this unit #2 Logiq 700<br />
MR: Model 2148800, SN 5664US8, DOM Jan<br />
1998 No software #3 LOGIQ 700 MR: MODEL<br />
2132700, SN 3452US8, DOM Feb 1997 No<br />
software #4 Logiq 700: Model 2132700-6, SN<br />
4706US8, DOM Jan 1998 No software #5 Logiq<br />
700: Model 2132700-6, SN 3054US7, DOM Apr<br />
1998 No software #6 Acuson 128: Model 128<br />
RF, SN 03853, Software with system Probes<br />
included: S328 L312 I5-198. Auction 5936 –<br />
sold for a dealer in New York, $6,800.<br />
LORAD Mammo Mobile MIV This is a 1994 Lorad<br />
MIV Mobile Mammo Unit. Tires: Good Tread<br />
Generator Hrs: 41904 Length: 35 Ft Generator<br />
Condition: ? (We could not figure out how to<br />
turn it on.) Mammo Unit: Unit turns on. Unit did<br />
have a problem with keyboard interface but was<br />
recently fixed. Dark Room: Yes (no film processor)<br />
Lead lined: The door to the patient waiting<br />
area appears to be lead lined. Mileage: 85,764.<br />
The engine turned on and idled. Varian Insert #<br />
M-113r Insert Serial 3 81496-3S DOM July 03<br />
Lorad 4-000-0029 Serial Number 19508034135<br />
DOM Aug 03 Lorad 4-000-0014 Serial #<br />
19408034334 DOM Aug 03 MIV Model number<br />
4-000-0004 Serial # 18007034134 DOM Aug.<br />
03 Please note the cosmetic condition of the<br />
vehicle. An inspection is re<strong>com</strong>mended before<br />
purchasing as some repairs will be needed on<br />
the vehicle. Auction 7983 – sold for a hospital in<br />
Texas, $9,500.<br />
LABORATORY<br />
PHILIPS Angio Lab Neuro Bi-Plane This is a<br />
2000 Philips Neuro Bi-Plane Integris BV5000:<br />
This is a neurovascular room. The Generator<br />
for this unit is an OPTIMUS CP Comes with<br />
an Angio Diagnost 5 table. There are seven<br />
cabinets with this unit. The last Preventative<br />
Maintenance was performed on 3/09/09. Has a<br />
MRC ceiling mount tube DOM 1/09 and a MRC<br />
Floor Mount Tube DOM 10/2000. This unit has<br />
11” Image Intensifiers. Auction 8176 – sold for a<br />
manufacturer in Canada, $10,200.<br />
ABAXIS Chemistry Analyzer Piccolo xPress<br />
This is a 2007 ABAXIS Piccolo xPress Chemistry<br />
Analyzer. This unit was bought NEW in<br />
May 2007 and has been barely used. This<br />
item is in great working condition. This unit<br />
is being sold because it is no longer used at<br />
the facility. Abaxis provides on-going service<br />
and support. Compact and portable, the Piccolo<br />
XpressT is easy to incorporate into your<br />
clinical setting, yet provides the precision and<br />
accuracy <strong>com</strong>parable to larger, more expensive<br />
laboratory analyzers. Small footprint measures<br />
32.4 cm (12.75 in.) x 15.2 cm (6 in.) x 20.3 cm<br />
(8 in.) Portable and lightweight with carrying<br />
handle only weighs 11.2 pounds The advanced<br />
technology uses centrifugal and capillary forces<br />
to mix diluents, reagents and sample in a selfcontained,<br />
disposable disc lessening opportunities<br />
for procedural errors On-board intelligent<br />
Quality Control system performs continuous QC<br />
checks during the <strong>com</strong>plete analytical process<br />
to ensure accurate results Bar coded selfcontained<br />
reagent discs are self-calibrating and<br />
monitors panel information Multi- analyte panel<br />
results include alpha-numeric patient information,<br />
analyte concentrations, reference ranges,<br />
sample integrity indices and QC performance<br />
Operator security capabilities limit non-user entry<br />
Peer reviewed studies support performance<br />
Bidirectional <strong>com</strong>munication USB ports transmit<br />
data to external peripherals. Stores up to 5000<br />
patient and control results on-board. Easy operation.<br />
The Piccolo Xpress procedure is quick<br />
and easy to perform. No special operating skills<br />
are needed to run the Piccolo Xpress Easy to<br />
use color touch screen guides the operator<br />
through the process. Flexible alpha - numeric<br />
data entry options and analyzer settings Selfcontained,<br />
disposable reagent discs are easy to<br />
handle. Every reagent disc automatically selfcalibrates.<br />
Integrated intelligent Quality Control<br />
(iQC) checks performance and accuracy.<br />
Requires very little maintenance. Operates from<br />
line or 15-volt battery power Direct <strong>com</strong>patibility<br />
supported with USB peripherals including bar<br />
code readers, keyboards, personal <strong>com</strong>puters<br />
and printers. CD Software makes testing upgrades<br />
easy. Auction 8801 – sold for a doctor’s<br />
office in California, $6,300.<br />
MONITORS<br />
GE EKG MAC 1200 Plus Resting EKG This is<br />
a LOT of 6 GE MAC 1200 Plus Resting ECG/<br />
EKG System #MAC1200-AAX-CXX-XXX and<br />
includes a starter kit, Interpretive Electrocardiograph<br />
and 12SL ECG analysis program and<br />
waveform display. The MAC® 1200 Resting<br />
ECG System offers a <strong>com</strong>prehensive solution,<br />
<strong>com</strong>plete with the practical features clinicians at<br />
smaller hospitals, clinics and physician offices<br />
appreciate. All units include a starter kit (Silver<br />
Mactrode Plus electrodes, alligator clip adapters,<br />
banana connectors, paper, patient cable, patient<br />
leadwires, NiCd battery and power cord). Auction<br />
8212 - sold for a dealer in New York, $8,400.<br />
<strong>DOTmed</strong> Auctions<br />
Want to auction equipment<br />
on dotmed.<strong>com</strong>?<br />
Contact an auction specialist.<br />
212.742.1200, ext. 296<br />
or sales@dotmed.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
www.dotmed.<strong>com</strong>
Quality Assured Parts, Technical Expertise, Training and Global Strategic Sourcing<br />
from ReMedPar for all your Diagnostic Imaging & Clinical Engineering needs.<br />
Quality tested in-house inventory<br />
����������������������������������������������������<br />
The ReMedPar Difference:<br />
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
ReMedPar carries inventory parts, performs technical repair, provides<br />
technical support, technical training & sourcing capabilities for:<br />
��������������������������������������������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������������������������<br />
�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
New from<br />
Varian Interay:<br />
MCS-6074<br />
GE LightSpeed Plus<br />
� Varian’s MCS-6074 replaces D3186T,<br />
Backwards <strong>com</strong>patible with<br />
D3182T, D3172T, D3152T<br />
� 6.3 mHU 200 mm target<br />
� Supports 0.5 second full scans<br />
� Calibrates like the original<br />
Replacement tubes<br />
for your GE CT!<br />
For more information go online for a datasheet, or contact your preferred dealer.<br />
USA Contact Information<br />
Varian Interay<br />
1-800-INTERAY<br />
TEL 843.767.3005<br />
FAX 843.760.0079<br />
E-mail interay.sales@varian.<strong>com</strong><br />
www.varian.<strong>com</strong>/interay<br />
“All trademarked terms are property of the respective manufacturer.”<br />
GE-CT<br />
GE CT/e - ProSpeed Ai<br />
� GS2276 replaces<br />
D3162T, D3169T<br />
New 80,000 scan warranty<br />
GE ProSpeed/Solarix NP<br />
� GS3576P replaces<br />
D3112T, D3119T<br />
New 90,000 scan warranty<br />
� GS3576S replaces<br />
D3142T, D3149T<br />
New 120,000 scan warranty<br />
� Loaded in original housings<br />
GE Sytec SRi<br />
� GS2176 replaces<br />
D3122T, D3129T<br />
New 80,000 scan warranty<br />
Europe Contact Information<br />
Varian X-ray Products Germany<br />
TEL 49-2154-924-980<br />
FAX 49-2154-924-994<br />
sales-xray@varian.<strong>com</strong>