There is some good news for makers of X-rays systems: most hospitals in the US plan to buy an X-ray system in the next three years, according to a new report from IMV, IMV X-Ray Market Outlook. The report said eight times out of ten, that X-ray system is purchased to replace another existing system, and only a fraction are purchased new outright in a location with no x-ray capability. This can be both an opportunity and a concern for watchers of the X-ray imaging market, according to IMV’s report.

IMV is a part of Science and Medicine Group.

The report said. Almost two thirds of the hospitals “Yes” and “Maybe” plan to acquire fixed x-ray systems (primarily DR) and/or DR detector retrofit kits for their main radiology department over the next three years. The report breaks out whether the need is new systems outright, retrofit systems or both. The report also breaks out what size hospital answered in what ways, and which manufacturers customers will buy from.

On the other hand, IMV said the number planning to buy is a little less than previous reports, and that many respondents feel their x-ray capacity is “sufficient to meet anticipated patient volumes” and “concern about reimbursement reductions.”

A complete history of previous year responses to the question is included in the report.

The Medicare’s Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (which reduces payments for x-ray procedures using CR technology) influenced a spurt in the adoption of DR technology, but the proportion of hospitals that are “Yes, planning “ to completely replace their fixed CR-only rooms with DR systems “over the next three years” or to purchase DR retrofit kits is decreasing. With x-ray procedure volume slowing down, a majority of the respondents feel their “current x-ray capacity is sufficient to meet anticipated patient volumes over the next 2-3 years,” which may limit the opportunity for the purchase of “additional” units.

IMV’s survey is based on a total of 294 respondents who participated in the online survey. To qualify for participation, respondents had to be personally involved in the operations or management of general radiography equipment for their hospital. IMV then projects that to a universe of 5,260 U.S. sites, to reflect the United States X-Ray market place and userbase.

More information about the report can be found here: https://imvinfo.com/product/2021-x-ray-dr-cr-market-outlook-report/

IMV Medical Information Division, part of Science and Medicine Group, is a marketing research and consulting firm founded in 1977, specializing in medical imaging and other advanced healthcare technology markets. IMV’s market research services, in combination with its databases of U.S. imaging sites with selected modalities, provide clients valuable assistance in strategic planning, customer satisfaction, product development and sales initiatives.