Radiation Therapy Volume Stays Steady Despite COVID-19 but Capital Equipment Spending is Being Impacted in 2020

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Radiation therapy patient volume has remained relatively stable throughout 2020, bucking a trend seen in diagnostic radiology, in which the COVID-19 pandemic has led to major drops in imaging exam volume, according to IMV’s new report on radiation oncology.

For 2020, an estimated 1,062,600 cancer patients will be treated with radiation therapy in the United States, according to IMV’s newly published 2020 Radiation Therapy Market Summary Report. Since 2006, the use of radiation therapy to treat cancer patients has been relatively stable, with the estimated number of patient cases increasing at an average annual rate of 1%.

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COVID-19 Cut Ultrasound Exam Volume by 50% in April 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 50% decline in exam volume in April 2020, at hospitals using general ultrasound equipment, according to a new report from IMV Medical Information Division. But hospitals are seeing volume rebound as they plan a return to normal operations.

The report found that an estimated 38.5 million patient exams were performed in 2019 using general ultrasound equipment that radiology/imaging departments in U.S. hospitals own or manage for their hospitals and associated outpatient locations. Read more →

“Top 5” Quiz on the Use of Post-Warranty Service Contracts for Diagnostic Imaging Equipment in U.S. Hospitals

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Take this “top 5” pop quiz and then view the answers!

The answers are drawn from IMV’s 2020 Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Service Outlook Report which provides insight into the types of post-warranty service arrangements used by U.S. hospitals for eleven key imaging modalities: CT, MRI, PET/CT, nuclear medicine/SPECT cameras, fixed C-arms, portable C-arms, fixed and mobile general X-ray, radiographic fluoroscopy (RF), mammography, and ultrasound.

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While COVID-19 Has Impacted the Need for “Break-and-Fix” Service Support in the Short Term, Lessons Learned from COVID Will be Part of the New Normal

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As mentioned in our June 2nd blog highlighting some results from IMV’s newly published 2020 Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Service Outlook Report, the types of support services hospitals typically have in their current service contracts are the classic “break-and-fix” and preventive maintenance (PM) services, including “PM visits during routine working hours,” “technical support by telephone,” “contracted on-site response time for service visits,” “OEM parts,” and “remote diagnostics.” These support services address a key department priority to “reduce the mean time to repair imaging equipment,” which two thirds of the respondents indicated is a top priority to address over the next few years.

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Imaging Departments in U.S. Hospitals Increasingly Focused on Value-Added Support Services beyond “Break-and-Fix”

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In today’s fast-paced and changing healthcare market, hospitals are closely scrutinizing their total cost of ownership for diagnostic imaging equipment. With ongoing pressure on their revenue sources, coverage for equipment maintenance, repair, and value-added services continue to be critical considerations in such budgetary decisions, according to IMV’s newly published 2020 Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Service Outlook Report.

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