Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

If you're looking to step up your mammography capabilities with digital equipment while saving your capital budget on the refurbished market, you're most likely to find yourself choosing from two leading brands: GE and Hologic.

The video below reveals average pricing for the most popular digital mammography equipment from both manufacturers available on the secondary market.

When GE developed their Senographe 2000D mammography system and their XR/d X-ray room, they partnered with Silicon Valley's Sun Microsystems (acquired in 2010 by Oracle) to provide workstations for both machines. The particular workstation in both of these cases was the Sun Ultra 10.

The Ultra 10 is a reliable platform but, just like any computer slogging through the day-in/day-out of a crowded patient schedule, there comes a point where a replacement will be necessary. 

Below, we'll break down the different types of Ultra 10 workstations, what causes them to fail, and the solution when you experience workstation failure on your 2000D or XR/d.

A reliable mammography system is an imaging facility's first, and best tool for breast cancer detection. This is precisely why it's important to have a plan for regular preventative maintenance and for repairs when unexpected equipment problems arise. With a plan in place, your facility can minimize equipment downtime, avoid lost reimbursements, and save money on the cost of replacement parts.

To help you build your expectations of what it might cost to cover your equipment maintenance through an independent service organization (ISO), we've pulled together current price averages for one year of our most inclusive Full Service Coverage plan as well as broken down a few of the key factors that will be a part of determining your individual price.

Buying a refurbished digital mammography machine means access to late-model technology at a much more affordable price than buying brand new. And, when your refurbishment is performed by a reputable provider, the condition of the system in question is comparable to what it was when the system first left the factory.

If your digital mammo machine's X-ray tube is on its way out or, perhaps, has already failed, you should know that contacting the original manufacturer for a replacement is just one of the sourcing options available to you. It is also, in the majority of scenarios, the most expensive one.

Below you'll find current average prices for X-ray tubes from the most popular digital mammography systems. Pricing for both new OEM and after-market tubes and used tubes from independent parts providers is included.

The detector is, arguably, the most important component on a digital mammography system. Not only is this true in terms of functionality and image quality, but also in terms of replacement cost.

If you own a GE Senographe Essential digital mammo, or are considering purchasing one, it will be helpful for you to know more details about this very special component. Keep reading to see vital detector details like part number, replacement cost, and average lifespan as well as how to make sure you get the correct detector version when the time eventually comes for your replacement.

Buying a Hologic Selenia mammography system from a third party is a good way to reduce cost. On the other hand, buying a system from the OEM is a good way to access a strong parts inventory and service engineers who know the equipment. But is there a way to split the difference? The answer: Yes. Consider refurbished.

The Hologic Selenia product line is a leader in the digital mammography modality, and rightfully so. Selenias produce excellent images, "play well" with most PACS systems, parts and service are readily available, and they retain their resale value relatively well.

Those are all good reasons to consider purchasing a Selenia for the mammography needs at your imaging facility, but if the outright purchase price of a system is more than your equipment budget can handle, you may be tempted to throw up your hands and simply try to squeeze another year out of your old system. Before you do that though, we want you to know that there are other options.

Check out the table below to see lease pricing for refurbished Hologic Selenias with a variety of service coverage/warranty plans. Depending on your budget and the level of service coverage you're most comfortable with, one of the options below may be a good fit for your organization.

Over the last decade, the transition has been swift from analog to full field digital mammography. The following is a list and description of the three different options available in the GE digital mammography line-up. While each of the systems were designed with fast and comfortable positioning, accurate dose efficiency, image quality and digital connectivity in mind; there are a few differences to note.

Some of the questions we get most often from buyers on the digital mammography market are questions about how a used mammography machine is validated and handled between its old home and its potential new home. These are excellent questions because not every equipment provider handles all of the steps involved in the same ways.