by
Regina Tan, DOTmed News Writer | May 27, 2009
"Currently, the [overall] ultrasound market is hitting a plateau," remarks Dr. Klein.
"Last year would have been a decent year, if not for the fourth quarter (particularly December). This seems to be carrying forward in 2009. The question would be whether this is a fast or a slow rebound. This will probably be a slow rebound - because of a lot of pent-up demand and [the need] for replacing older systems. Once people start spending again, hospitals and private practices will begin to invest," continues Dr. Klein.
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"Another issue would be the [future of] the healthcare system and whether or not it will be nationalized. The reimbursement rates for ultrasound, in most cases, have kept declining. This may cause an increase in lobbying by physician groups for better reimbursement rates," Dr. Klein concludes.
Others from within the ultrasound equipment industry agree with this assessment, but take it with a grain of salt.
"Most likely, the ultrasound market will follow the current economic trends, which would indicate a flat market over the course of the next year," writes David Fortney, General Imaging Marketing Manager (USA) at Siemens Healthcare.
"Of course, no one truly knows the answer to this and we are optimistic. I believe that ultrasound has a greater likelihood for a quicker upturn when compared to other modalities based on price point and portability," Mr. Fortney observes.
Ultrasound - Live 3D Transesophageal
Echocardiogram (TEE) Probe
(Image courtesy of Philips)
The downturn in the economy is also favoring the low-end of the cart-based ultrasound equipment market with the greatest growth found in the mid-range segment, and higher-than-usual growth forecast for the low-end segment, according to InMedica's report on the global ultrasound market. InMedica is the medical research division of IMS Research, a market research and consulting firm for global electronics markets. The company's headquarters are located in Wellingborough, UK.
InMedica's report predicts that worldwide ultrasound revenues will continue to experience robust growth and exceed $6 billion by 2012. It also states that the improving quality and functionality of lower-end systems is helping to stabilize prices in an otherwise price-competitive market.
