American Allied Imaging Inc. started in 1991 as a scanning and staffing company to fill the demand in mobile bedside scanning. Since then, customers have all but insisted the company fulfill expanded needs -- installs, deinstalls, rigging, service, repair and full turnkey operations. Today the Brea, Calif. company buys, installs and repairs all types of systems and maintains a large inventory.

"We were originally a nuclear medicine company and had a really good response from those hospitals and clinics we served. Patient services was our primary focus and forte for years," said CEO John Zacharczuk. "Now we've stepped into a new world because they're asking us to get involved in different modalities and helping them with plan management and everything from A to Z--from putting the camera in to patient management. We even consult with companies that we've engaged for rigging and moving machinery; they're calling us to consult with them because apparently they didn't know they could salvage a lot of equipment while not cutting cables."


It's not just entire modalities that are being added to the resume, it's entire markets, including the socialized Canadian medical system. "Apparently we pleased the Canadian health authorities so much that now they are looking to us for MR, CT, ultrasound, urology rooms, RF rooms. They needed an injection of professionalism," Zacharczuk said of our neighbor's difficulty getting equipment deinstalled and installed cleanly.

However, Zacharczuk praises the Canadian system overall for superb care in equipment maintenance, resulting in a superior resource for used equipment. "If you are working in a socialized environment like the Canadians are, they are putting three times the money into the machines as compared to the United States so we get a much better product from Canada."

The company is also cultivating Mexico and Eastern European markets.

"Unlike most people who say they own or have equipment on consignment, we own everything we sell. It may not physically be here yet because it may not be deinstalled yet or in customs but we physically inspect, and test with the clinical technician every aspect of the machine to make sure everything is fully operational."

Quality and quantity are equally important to American Allied Imaging and its customers. "We just move volume. We make a small profit. But we will move a lot of machinery in a short period of time," Zacharczuk said. He maintains an optimistic view of the industry overall. "Don Bogutski wrote [in DOTmed News] about CareCore and other industry giants trying to push the third parties out. I don't think that's going to happen because the bottom line is you want a good product for a good price and the patient is always number one with us," Zacharczuk said.

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