Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

Many of our readers, friends, and contacts across the imaging field heard early on in 2016 that CMS was implementing reimbursement cuts to film processing in 2017. The result was a flood of requests from people looking to update their equipment stables ahead of the cuts. Many of them are sensed an even deeper turn in the direction of digital imaging and inquired after the ongoing viability of CR processing as a solution.

What we've been communicating to all of them for the last 18 months is that the same legislation cutting reimbursements to film (The Consolidated Appropriations Act) will also cut reimbursements to CR processing in 2018 and again in 2023. In light of this additional wave of cuts, we want to share with you exactly what the law says will happen to CR reimbursements as well as how you can calculate your facility's position and form an upgrade plan.

When using a wireless flat panel detector with your X-ray system, a strong wi-fi connection is a must. This is especially true if your panel is paired with a portable system being moved around your facility. Because of this need, people looking into digital X-ray often ask us, "What's the range of a wireless flat panel detector?" That is- how far the panel can be from the computer before the signal is too weak to transmit images.

In response to this question, we decided to do a "field test". All you need is a 100,000 square ft. warehouse, a portable X-ray machine, and a wireless DR flat panel. Fortunately, Block Imaging has all three. More specifically, we used a Vivix CsI wireless DR panel set to AP mode and scanned a test phantom with a GE AMX IV portable X-ray system. Check out the photos and results below to find out what we learned about wireless DR panel signal range.

Want to see a flat panel detector work in person? Click here to request a FREE in-house panel demo.

The radiology field has been talking for some time now about the benefits of digital radiography. But while it's true that any DR panel will help you get better images far quicker than an analog system, not all DR panel software suites provide the same level of user experience.

That said, we reviewed one of the DR software suites we see most often to help you better understand what you can expect from the day-to-day use of a DR panel.

Watch the video review below to hear how Vieworks' VXvue software performs in:

• Ease of use

• Image quality

• Adaptability

• Throughput

Upgrade to a DR Panel with Section 179The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Div. O, title V, sec. 502) will significantly impact reimbursement for radiology procedures using film processing. Starting in 2017, if you are still using a film processor, CMS will decrease reimbursement for these CPT codes by 20%. This decrease will impact the overall cost of owning your processor- unless your chemical supplier and service company both decide to lower their prices to throw you a bone (we wouldn't count on it).

2016 is a good time to consider upgrading to direct digital imaging with a DR panel. Of course, depending on your individual budget scenario, a capital investment along those lines may be daunting. Fortunately, we're going to show you how a section 179 tax deduction can help ease your concerns. 

Well, we all knew this time was coming, some of us just weren't sure how quickly. Film-based X-ray has been in decline for years, but now it's looking more like an aging boxer struggling on the ropes in the twelfth round. The 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Div. O, title V, sec. 502), which became law on 12/18/15, landed a significant body blow to film processing for X-ray. With a 20% decrease in reimbursement from CMS for film X-ray in 2017, many providers need to determine in the next six months or so if the transition to a digital detector is feasible for their practice. The other option is to get out of the X-ray business altogether.

In the imaging field, the decision to purchase capital equipment has a lot to do with patient volume. We'll take a deeper look at some examples below to help illustrate what the time to ROI for upgraded equipment looks like at several volume levels.