Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

So, you're running your GE CT and you start hearing a rattle, a jitter, or a knock. It never made that sound before, and you're pretty sure it shouldn't make that sound at all. Why is it doing that?

With so many moving parts, there are a few things that can create a similar sound inside the gantry of a GE CT scanner, however, one of the most common for is the axial encoder. Keep reading to learn what you should do to solve the problem.

Thanks for stopping by to learn about XR-29. Click here to determine if your CT is XR-29 compliant: Is My CT Scanner Compliant?

You might be surprised to hear that XR-29 is NOT about low dose. Click here to read more: Do I Need Iterative Reconstruction?

Are you asking yourself if you should buy an after-market add-on to make your CT compliant? Click here to find out why the answer is probably no: NEMA Whitepaper Clarifies Aftermarket Add-ons, RDSR, and More

Remember also that XR-29 only Affects Medicare Outpatients in Hospitals and Clinics and Does not Apply to PET/CT

Last, but not least, here is A Guide to Checking Your System for XR-29 Compliance.

Keep reading here for an analysis of the law itself.

On April 1, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (HR 4302). Per the act, beginning in 2016, Medicare paid less for certain diagnostic CT scans performed on CT equipment that does not meet the XR-29 CT standard (MITA Smart Dose) .  

What does this mean for you? For some, not a lot. Many CT scanners already meet the requirements. For others, the legislation meant replacing their system altogether or facing the applicable reimbursement cuts. To help you get a better idea of how XR-29 might affect your next CT equipment decision, we've taken a closer look at the law and the penalties below.

If you keep your ear to the ground in the world of CT scanner technology, you've probably heard the name "Gemstone Spectral Imaging" (GSI) rolling around in conversations about the latest CT models from GE. You've probably also heard that GSI allows for better pictures of blood vessels, improved viewing of joint replacement, and more accurate diagnosis of numerous other health conditions¹. But, while the name sounds impressive and all of those benefits are highly desirable, they don't go very far in explaining what GSI is and how it works.Today, we hope to clear those items up for you.

For years now, the GE Lightspeed 16 CT scanner has enjoyed widespread popularity in the medical imaging field and, in many ways, has been the standard of care in CT. The LS16 has been so reliable, in fact, that it continues to be a top seller on the used market.  

In spite of the LightSpeed's high level of quality, the pace at which CT technology advances means that many hospitals and imaging centers keep their eyes perpetually open for what the used market will bring next. To those facilities, we point out GE's VCT scanner platform as an affordable step forward in technology that comes with a comparable level of reliability. Keep reading to find more details on the VCT series.

The A-plane collimator (part # 4535-670-62391) is one of the pricier components to replace on your Philips Brilliance 40-slice or 64-slice CT scanner and, unfortunately, the odds are rather high that a replacement will be necessary at some point during the lifespan of your system.

On the bright side, however, there are a few things that (if you're aware of them in advance), can help you better manage the temporary setback of a collimator failure and get your Brilliance up and running quickly.

Here are three things you should know about your A-plane collimator before it fails, so you can turn around your replacement and repair ASAP: