A focus on the OB/GYN ultrasound market
July 29, 2022
By Krys Lee
The rise in breast cancer and other diseases specific to women are major factors driving the growth of purchases in the OB/GYN market. Ultrasound, in particular, plays a large role in women’s health: Clinicians rely on imaging using ultrasound — a minimally invasive solution — for diagnosis, treatment, and preventative screening measures. Ultrasound exams can be performed real-time, have no radiation risks, and are widely accepted by patients.
Markets and Markets reports that the global ultrasound market was estimated at $6.7 billion USD in 2021 and is projected to grow at a 6.3% CAGR rate from 2021 to 2026. Fortune Business Insights reports that Asia-Pacific and other global markets are spending more to develop healthcare infrastructures, and North America (the leader in the ultrasound device industry) continues to adopt the use of advanced diagnostic equipment fueling the growth.
However, for many healthcare facilities in the U.S., the ability to replace and upgrade aging systems depends on reimbursement levels the CMS sets for purchasing high-end systems. As a result, a reduction in Medicare spending by $716 billion from 2012 to 2022 may have had a negative impact for cash flow for healthcare purchases. symplr’s data requests clearly indicate tighter capital budgets and, with pressure to reduce medical capital spending, this has led to an increase in preference for refurbished and demo ultrasound equipment. Purchasing refurbished or demo systems can reduce the cost of ultrasound equipment purchases by 40 – 70%, based on activity seen by our clients, thus posing a challenge to the market growth.
OB/GYN Market
Ultrasound is the standard in fetal and reproductive imaging and OB/GYN (i.e., imaging of women and fetuses pre, ante, and postpartum for obstetrics; and imaging the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and surrounding structures in gynecology). Transducers, or probes, for OB/GYN are generally transabdominal and endovaginal. Systems with AI volume rendering, fetal biometry assistance, 3D, and 4D imaging with HD — as well as improvements in spatial and beam resolution — has led to North America’s domination in the OB/GYN ultrasound systems market. Such new technology enables healthcare providers to perform exams with decreased exam times, improved accuracy, and better guidance, and can automate assessments into generated worksheets for interpretation. This leads to better patient outcomes and will continue to contribute to growth in this market.
Vendors
GE Healthcare: In the women’s health market, symplr has seen clients’ interest in the GE Voluson series account for over 80% of ultrasound equipment considered for purchase in the last 12 months. GE offers three models each in the Expert and Signature series, with average purchase price ranging from $58,000 to $155,000 based on model and system configuration. Purchases include a wide-band convex probe and a wide-band micro convex endocavitary volume probe 70% of the time. The innovative design is ergonomic, enhances contrast resolution, and improves processing speeds and frame rates. These systems come with a standard one-year warranty, and extended warranties are available for purchase. GE has begun offering seven-year remote technical and clinical support on models. This added support bolsters customer loyalty and limits competition, which also dampens the ability to negotiate for higher discounting in purchases.
Philips Medical: Another vendor, Philips, has accounted for over 10% of symplr client purchase considerations in the last 12 months in this market with the EPIQ Elite and Affiniti models in purchases ranging in average price from $38,000 to $173,000 based on model and configuration. Purchase considerations include broadband PureWave transducers 60% of the time. Broadband transducers provide deeper penetration with improved resolution without the clinician having to change transducers during the exam. This is combined with PureWave technology that improves electromechanical coupling and strain levels. These systems also come with a standard one-year warranty.
Other vendors: The remainder of the OB/GYN ultrasound market includes Samsung NeuroLogica for the HS50 and Hera W10 systems, and Siemens Healthineers for the Acuson NX3 system. For facilities that do not have dedicated systems for OB/GYN or that require systems to be used across specialties, vendors such as Canon (with its Aplio i-series) offer software packages and allow for purchases of specialized transducers to meet customer needs by adding to system configurations.
Point-of-care ultrasound
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has continued to grow and is expected to rise at a CAGR of 14.3% from 2020 to 2026. The leader in this market, Fujifilm Sonosite, offers one OB-dedicated configuration bundle for the SII system. GE offers a Voluson P series that may offer competition in the OB/GYN compact portable market. Philips also offers an OB/GYN compact portable system, the CX50 WHC.
Post-warranty support
Purchasing multiyear service agreements to cover systems and transducers is highly recommended. The AHA guideline for the life of ultrasound systems is estimated to be five years. However, with planned maintenance, many systems outlive the expectancy and are in use well beyond five years. Service agreement pricing can vary just as widely as ultrasound system configuration, with agreements ranging in types of coverage to what is included in the coverage.
A significant support cost in ultrasound is attributed to transducers. These are replaced, often with refurbished probes returned from other clients. Most vendors offer levels of support in transducer coverage for wear and tear and failure (WF); wear and tear, failure, and damage (WFD); or accidental probe damage replacement. This coverage may be pooled or tiered for a fixed number of replacements over a specified term stated in the contract. Typically, transducer coverage is not included in the standard warranty vendors offer. Ultrasound systems are dependent on transducers to produce images; therefore, consideration of post-warranty options and transducer coverage is recommended at point of sale in equipment purchases, especially for expensive endocavitary and specialty probes, versus attempting to negotiate post-warranty options after purchase.
Ultrasound utilization continues to grow as it is a less costly, more accessible diagnostic tool with no radiation exposure compared to other expensive options such as CT, MR, and other radiation-based imaging modalities. Vendors are investing in research and development, and the OB/GYN ultrasound market will continue to grow in correlation with the technological advances in this market. Key areas of growth include improvements to workflow, image quality, and system and component design ergonomics. These are areas customers should consider when investing in purchases, along with considerations of capital cost, maintenance, and software updates and upgrades.
About the author: Krys Lee is a clinical advisor for ultrasound and cardiovascular ultrasound imaging, research and analysis with symplr. With deployments in 9 out of every 10 U.S. hospitals, symplr is the leader in enterprise healthcare software and services.
The rise in breast cancer and other diseases specific to women are major factors driving the growth of purchases in the OB/GYN market. Ultrasound, in particular, plays a large role in women’s health: Clinicians rely on imaging using ultrasound — a minimally invasive solution — for diagnosis, treatment, and preventative screening measures. Ultrasound exams can be performed real-time, have no radiation risks, and are widely accepted by patients.
Markets and Markets reports that the global ultrasound market was estimated at $6.7 billion USD in 2021 and is projected to grow at a 6.3% CAGR rate from 2021 to 2026. Fortune Business Insights reports that Asia-Pacific and other global markets are spending more to develop healthcare infrastructures, and North America (the leader in the ultrasound device industry) continues to adopt the use of advanced diagnostic equipment fueling the growth.
However, for many healthcare facilities in the U.S., the ability to replace and upgrade aging systems depends on reimbursement levels the CMS sets for purchasing high-end systems. As a result, a reduction in Medicare spending by $716 billion from 2012 to 2022 may have had a negative impact for cash flow for healthcare purchases. symplr’s data requests clearly indicate tighter capital budgets and, with pressure to reduce medical capital spending, this has led to an increase in preference for refurbished and demo ultrasound equipment. Purchasing refurbished or demo systems can reduce the cost of ultrasound equipment purchases by 40 – 70%, based on activity seen by our clients, thus posing a challenge to the market growth.
OB/GYN Market
Ultrasound is the standard in fetal and reproductive imaging and OB/GYN (i.e., imaging of women and fetuses pre, ante, and postpartum for obstetrics; and imaging the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and surrounding structures in gynecology). Transducers, or probes, for OB/GYN are generally transabdominal and endovaginal. Systems with AI volume rendering, fetal biometry assistance, 3D, and 4D imaging with HD — as well as improvements in spatial and beam resolution — has led to North America’s domination in the OB/GYN ultrasound systems market. Such new technology enables healthcare providers to perform exams with decreased exam times, improved accuracy, and better guidance, and can automate assessments into generated worksheets for interpretation. This leads to better patient outcomes and will continue to contribute to growth in this market.
Vendors
GE Healthcare: In the women’s health market, symplr has seen clients’ interest in the GE Voluson series account for over 80% of ultrasound equipment considered for purchase in the last 12 months. GE offers three models each in the Expert and Signature series, with average purchase price ranging from $58,000 to $155,000 based on model and system configuration. Purchases include a wide-band convex probe and a wide-band micro convex endocavitary volume probe 70% of the time. The innovative design is ergonomic, enhances contrast resolution, and improves processing speeds and frame rates. These systems come with a standard one-year warranty, and extended warranties are available for purchase. GE has begun offering seven-year remote technical and clinical support on models. This added support bolsters customer loyalty and limits competition, which also dampens the ability to negotiate for higher discounting in purchases.
Philips Medical: Another vendor, Philips, has accounted for over 10% of symplr client purchase considerations in the last 12 months in this market with the EPIQ Elite and Affiniti models in purchases ranging in average price from $38,000 to $173,000 based on model and configuration. Purchase considerations include broadband PureWave transducers 60% of the time. Broadband transducers provide deeper penetration with improved resolution without the clinician having to change transducers during the exam. This is combined with PureWave technology that improves electromechanical coupling and strain levels. These systems also come with a standard one-year warranty.
Other vendors: The remainder of the OB/GYN ultrasound market includes Samsung NeuroLogica for the HS50 and Hera W10 systems, and Siemens Healthineers for the Acuson NX3 system. For facilities that do not have dedicated systems for OB/GYN or that require systems to be used across specialties, vendors such as Canon (with its Aplio i-series) offer software packages and allow for purchases of specialized transducers to meet customer needs by adding to system configurations.
Point-of-care ultrasound
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has continued to grow and is expected to rise at a CAGR of 14.3% from 2020 to 2026. The leader in this market, Fujifilm Sonosite, offers one OB-dedicated configuration bundle for the SII system. GE offers a Voluson P series that may offer competition in the OB/GYN compact portable market. Philips also offers an OB/GYN compact portable system, the CX50 WHC.
Post-warranty support
Purchasing multiyear service agreements to cover systems and transducers is highly recommended. The AHA guideline for the life of ultrasound systems is estimated to be five years. However, with planned maintenance, many systems outlive the expectancy and are in use well beyond five years. Service agreement pricing can vary just as widely as ultrasound system configuration, with agreements ranging in types of coverage to what is included in the coverage.
A significant support cost in ultrasound is attributed to transducers. These are replaced, often with refurbished probes returned from other clients. Most vendors offer levels of support in transducer coverage for wear and tear and failure (WF); wear and tear, failure, and damage (WFD); or accidental probe damage replacement. This coverage may be pooled or tiered for a fixed number of replacements over a specified term stated in the contract. Typically, transducer coverage is not included in the standard warranty vendors offer. Ultrasound systems are dependent on transducers to produce images; therefore, consideration of post-warranty options and transducer coverage is recommended at point of sale in equipment purchases, especially for expensive endocavitary and specialty probes, versus attempting to negotiate post-warranty options after purchase.
Krys Lee
About the author: Krys Lee is a clinical advisor for ultrasound and cardiovascular ultrasound imaging, research and analysis with symplr. With deployments in 9 out of every 10 U.S. hospitals, symplr is the leader in enterprise healthcare software and services.