Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

After years of constant change- up and down deduction limits, shifting depreciation rates, retroactive measures taken in the following calendar year- 2020 finds the Section 179 tax deduction for capital equipment landing in a place of greater stability. If you have plans for a major equipment purchase in the near future, we'll explore what you can expect to save this year with Section 179.

If you are not yet familiar with The Critical Medical Infrastructure Right-to-Repair Act of 2020, “Right to Repair” for short, here’s some quick background. The bill was introduced on August 6^th by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Rep. Yvette Clark of New York in response to concerns that repairs and maintenance on medical equipment were being hampered by restrictive contracts and copyright laws during the COVID-19 crisis.

A statement from Senator Wyden’s website describes the bill’s specifics, saying that, for at least the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would:

• Protect equipment owners, lessees, and servicers from liability under federal copyright law for creating an incidental copy of service materials or for breaking a digital lock during the course of equipment repair in response to COVID-19;
• Allow equipment owners or lessees to fabricate patented parts on a non-commercial basis and as needed for repair or maintenance in response to COVID-19;
• Invalidate provisions in equipment contracts to the extent that they prohibit or restrict the repair or maintenance of critical medical infrastructure in response to COVID-19; 
• Require manufacturers to provide, on fair and reasonable terms, access to information and tools used to diagnose problems and service, maintain, or repair equipment; and
• Require the Federal Trade Commission to evaluate the bill’s impact and effectiveness on innovation and competition in the critical medical infrastructure market.

The bill has garnered praise and support from rural healthcare systems, independent engineering groups, and many civil interest groups but, unsurprisingly, has come under fire from OEMs and their partner lobbying groups.

The Block Imaging team invites you to join us in welcoming long-time healthcare entrepreneur and thought leader, Tom Spees as our new Vice President of Strategic Development. Many of you have worked with Tom personally over the years or with organizations he’s been a part of shaping. From AID, to Dunlee, Philips, to Richardson Electronics, you know the value he brings to any project. Beginning in August, Tom will work alongside Block's current leadership, using his years of experience in equipment sales, independent imaging service, and replacement parts sourcing to continue improving and expanding the way Block Imaging serves healthcare facilities around the world.

COVID-19 response has placed a heavy, sometimes overwhelming burden on healthcare facilities across the US. With additional work, care, and precautions becoming a part of everyday life, there are many on the medical front lines who are feeling stretched a little thin these days. That's why we're pleased to share a recent measure from CMS that offers some areas of relief.

Keep reading to learn more about how your imaging team can find some flexibility in their workflow through the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers from CMS.

While the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues, we at Block Imaging would like to share with our valued partners what we're doing as a company to keep you, your teams, and your patients safe during this pandemic.

As a global provider of medical equipment and parts and a service and mobile rental provider across the United States, we understand that we have a role to play in keeping hospitals and clinics serving patients. At the same time, we also understand that the movement of our personnel and goods through our own facilities and into yours needs to be handled with extra care. The following are the measures we're taking to provide that care: