Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

Whether you're a veteran, a rookie, or still shopping for the best system, if you plan to use a C-arm, another thing you have to plan for is how you're going to keep it up and running as consistently as possible. For maximum uptime, you'll need to arrange a service agreement. But how much should you expect to spend for that agreement? We're here to help you build a realistic budget by revealing some average price ranges you’re likely to find as you shop around for C-arm service coverage (see the table at the end).

Before we get to the numbers, we want to explain what is considered when service contract quotes are being built. This is important because what you will actually pay for service depends on these factors. 

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If your facility has been performing breast biopsies with a Hologic Multicare stereotactic table, you know by now that Hologic has declared the Multicare to be "end of life" (EOL). We want to reassure you that this isn't as scary as the phrase itself sounds. It does mean that some things need to change at your facility, but it doesn't mean that you need to change now, or that your only option is to turn to the OEM

Using the recently EOL-ed Hologic Multicare stereotactic biopsy table as an example, we're going to share with you why OEMs use EOL designations, why EOL doesn't require an urgent response, and how EOL can actually benefit your operating budget.

Maybe you haven't been in the field long enough to see one of your systems be declared "end of life". Maybe in the past, your budget afforded you the opportunity to upgrade long before end of life was even a concern. Whatever the case, if your facility has been using a Siemens Symphony MRI, you now know that Siemens has declared those three dreaded words for your scanner.

We'll concede that the phrase "end of life" (EOL) has an awfully conclusive tone to it, and that having a system declared EOL can lead to some big changes for a site- however, EOL designation doesn't mean that your Symphony needs to go out the door any time soon, and it doesn't mean that you have to bust your budget on an urgent upgrade.

With the Siemens Symphony MRI as our example, let us give you the scoop on why OEMs use EOL designations, why EOL isn't as urgent as it seems, and how an EOL designation can actually be a good thing for your operating budget.