The Affordable Care Act (or as it is better known: “Obamacare”) mostly survived review by the Supreme Court of the United States with the release of the 5-4 decision today.  While a change in the states’ requirements to receive Medicaid funding from the federal government was rejected, the most controversial portion of the law, the requirement that all individuals have certain minimum health insurance (or be subject to a tax), was upheld.  The Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) was a proper exercise of Congress’ taxing and spending power. 

If you’re unsure of what medical imaging equipment vendors mean when they say “First Scan Warranty,” allow me to break it down with an analogy the gourmand in all of us can relate to:

The GE Discovery family of PET/CTs is like a pack of vicious velociraptors; quick, quiet, and hunting down anatomical anomalies like so many billionaires’ grandchildren cowering behind the darkened countertops of an industrial kitchen.

 Having recently read California’s Senate Bill 1237 (CASB 1237), a Block Imaging CT customer (for anonymity’s sake we’ll call him Dr. Phibes) made a last-minute change in his CT scanner purchasing decision. Dr. Phibes was originally considering the purchase of an older, moderately-priced used CT machine but, after reviewing this bill, opted for one of our models with dose recording technology. Making this change forced the good doctor into a later year model than he needed for the particular studies being done at his clinic, and at a greater cost. Why did Dr. Phibes think this was a practical idea? What did bill 1237 say that caused him to change his mind?

Outpatient surgery centers have been cropping up all over the United States. Like clutches of fledgling eagles, still puffy with the fading remnants of their downy coats, these doctor groups are spreading their entrepreneurial wings in maiden flight, hoping to grasp quality treatment and fiscal growth simultaneously in their dagger-like talons!

I’m surprised (though maybe I shouldn’t be) that I have to say this: Your CT scanner is not a refrigerator, or a pull-out sofa, or your grandmother’s nineteenth-century china hutch!

“Should I be shopping for a full-size c-arm or a mini c-arm?” This question is asked so often, I can hardly believe it’s taken this long to get a blog around to answer it!

Hmm… how can I stress the importance of your system accessories when you place a call for imaging equipment service? Alright, maybe I’m dating myself, but who remembers the 1990 Roberts/Bacon/Sutherland blockbuster, “Flatliners”? If you don’t: spoiler alert!

It’s arguable which Digital X-Ray technology (Selenium, Cesium, Gadolinium) provides the best quality, and at the lowest radiation dose. Voices from all camps pipe up boisterously and, with all the chatter, this element can seem to be the core choice of the DR buying process. But, as this debate continues in the industry, an equally important element is often overlooked: measuring the after-purchase customer service track record of a prospective vendor. 

Looking for a way to rid your OEC 9800 of a pesky “overload fault” error? You’ve come to the right place.

Mini C-arms are a pretty important piece of medical imaging equipment, what with all the wildly swinging hammers, carelessly slammed doors, and extremely droppable bowling balls out there. Extremities experts rely on their mini Cs to look at all those tiny, smashable carpals and tarsals and cuboids, so when it comes time to purchase one it’s critical that they know the pertinent details of each model they consider.

Helium is a gas that has many functions; filling balloons, manufacturing LCD TVs, fueling rockets, and cooling MRI scanners. This last item, probably the most important use of helium, constitutes about 20% of the world’s usage. Unfortunately, this very handy gas is also a finite resource like fossil fuels. In fact, some experts are predicting that the world may be completely depleted of helium within the next 30 years. That’s right! Your grandchildren may never know the joy of singing Happy Birthday in the squeaky balloon voice!

When you were new to the C-Arm market (and perhaps you still are) undoubtedly one of the first C-Arm models you heard about was the OEC 9800. Given the system’s huge popularity and the size of OEC’s market share, this isn’t surprising. As you began to look into this model a little more, you probably began to realize that it comes in a few different flavors (metaphorically, of course; we strongly recommend that you do NOT taste a used c-arm), not the least of which is the 9800 Plus.

Speech Pathologists: Block Imaging has just added a new product to the list of medical imaging equipment we deal in- the TIMS DICOM System. 

Like so many other things, selling a used c-arm requires a little leg work to get the best value. After all, you wouldn’t expect to get top dollar for your G.I. Joe collection if Snake Eyes was missing his tiny plastic sword, would you? Nor would you, as a buyer, shell out for an ’86 Buick Century without seeing some service records or, at least, an oil change sticker from some time after the Bush administration.

The epic conflict rages on as OEM service and ISO service continue battling toe-to-toe for your business. Since the publication of our original article on Medical Imaging Equipment Service: OEM vs. ISO some additional considerations have come to light. If any of you were still on the fence at the end of that post, what you're about to read could send you sprawling face-first into the ISO camp.

This might sound strange, but for me, the Philips Pulsera C-arm bears an existential significance. Read on, and bear witness to my journey.

Yesterday

I think it’s high time we humans were taken down a peg! We strut around, talking about being “forward-thinking,” “synergistic,” and “efficient,” when, in fact, we’re one of the slowest species on Earth!