"Additionally, 3D/4D scanners are a big trend in the OB/MFM [obstetrics/maternal fetal medicine] setting," notes Keith Rubenstein of MedPro Imaging, Inc.

"Fusion imaging is becoming more acceptable, combining CT/MR imaging with ultrasound," he observes.


Lamar Gale, the president of Gale Medical, a reseller of ultrasound equipment, also forecasts a mass migration from analog to DICOM ultrasound equipment.

"A much higher percentage of prospects are demanding digital output," says Mr. Gale.

"As the U.S. population ages, they will have a greater need for this type of technology," Mr. Gale notes. "The only problem is with 'pricing pressure': people don't have as much to spend . . . what we're seeing is that people with older machines are trying to extend the life without resorting to the warranties."

Overall, the used equipment ultrasound market offers equipment and parts at 30% to 50% of the original cost, bringing the price range from $2,000 to $100,000 for equipment and $100 to $20,000 for parts. Service plans are usually offered on a one to five year basis. Parts under a 30-day warranty may be extended to one year.

In a shrinking economy, hospitals and private physician practices are seeking ways to prolong the life of existing equipment by purchasing new or refurbished parts or extended service plans to avoid making huge capital investments. Adaptations, such as hand-held units and multi-use scanners, are additional cost-cutting measures.
Such "evolutionary" response to the economy seems necessary to survive in the current buyer's market in ultrasound.

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Suggestions from ISOs and OEMs on
ultrasound purchases
- Use ISO 9901 certified ultrasound service and
suppliers.
-Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of service plans.
-Keep in mind that IT connectivity will become increasingly
important to comply with future federal
industry standards.
-Check the post-sale support of the equipment.
-Ask questions about the company's quality management
system.
-Be cautious about making decisions solely based
on price.
-When buying online, meet face-to-face with sales
representatives to be sure that they can deliver
what they promise -- refer to DOTmed.com as a
resource.
-Ask whether the used equipment dealer is an authorized
third party vendor for the manufacturer.

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DOTmed Registered Ultrasound Equipment Sales & Service Companies
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.

Domestic
Patrick Hardy, Dietz Healthcare, Inc., AZ
DOTmed Certified/100
Andy Mead, Legacy Ultrasound, AZ
Jonathan Ames, CardioVascular Sales, CA
Duc Dang, 2D Imaging, CA
DOTmed 100
David Trogden, Ultra Solutions, CA
Arturo Hernandez, Promed Parts, CA
Loc Le, All Imaging Systems, Inc., CA
DOTmed Certified
Bill Burnett, Pyramid Medical, Inc., CA
Steven Kelley, AmeriaMED Ultrasound Corp., CA
DOTmed Certified
Scott Hassler, KPI Ultrasound, CA
DOTmed Certified
John Baird, Echoserve, CO
Rick Reed, Precision Medical, CO
Wayne Moore, Sonora Medical Systems, CO
Saulo Waisenberg, Selcon Business Solutions LLC, FL
DOTmed 100
David Denholtz, Integrity Medical Systems, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Oswaldo Guio, Let Medical, FL
Keri Cox, Amber Diagnostics, FL
Derrell McCrary, Choice Medical Systems, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Mark Asmer, MedCorp, FL
DOTmed Certified
Heather Bunn, Ultrasound Imaging Technology, Inc., GA
DOTmed Certified/100
Joe Williams, National Ultrasound, GA
Sherman Weston, U.S. Imaging, Inc., GA
Lamar Gale, Gale Medical, LLC, GA
DOTmed Certified/100
Igor Mesin, I L International, Inc., IL
Volodymyr Markevych, Vomark Technologies, Inc., IL
Richard Fosco, HealthWare, Inc., IL
DOTmed Certified
Robert Broschart, Axess Ultrasound, IN
Colin Grady, Ambassador Medical, IN
DOTmed Certified/100
Christopher Turner, C&C Medical Solutions, Inc., IN
DOTmed Certified/100
Travis Nipper, Clinical Engineering Consultants, Inc., KY
Robert Gaw, Jr., Physicians Resource Network, MA
DOTmed 100
Diomid Bashkinov, RBEnterprise, Inc., MA
DOTmed Certified
Brian Seltzer, Chesapeake Ultrasound, MD
DOTmed 100
John Gladstein, Medical Device Depot, MD
Mark Charaf, Global Medical Equipment, Inc., MI
DOTmed Certified/100
Tony Orlando, Complete Medical Services, MI
DOTmed Certified/100
Sikya Williams, Global Medical Imaging, NC
Lynne Gillooly, Gillooly, Inc., NC
Bill Cowan, Liberty Diagnostic Services, NJ
Robert Manetta, Nationwide Imaging Services, Inc., NJ
DOTmed Certified/100
Uri Klipper, Mega Tech, Inc., NJ
John Carrubba, A-1 Ultrasound Services, NJ
Leon Gugel, Metropolis International, NY
DOTmed Certified/100
John Kollegger, Bay Shore Medical, LLC, NY
DOTmed 100
Jeff Weiss, Atlantis Worldwide, LLC, NY
Alan Gust, Mobile Instrument, OH
Eric Donis, Flexible Solutions, OR
Brent Davies, The Sentinel Imaging Group, Inc., PA
Bryan Hoffman, Trisonics, PA
Katie Romano, MEDRAD Multi Vendor Service, PA
Thomas Hagan, Medical Sound Technologies, Inc., RI
Tim Edwards, Pinnacle Diagnostic Solutions, LLC, TN
Kim Presley, ReMedPar, TN
Doug Updike, Priority Medical, Inc., TN
DOTmed Certified
Ray Coombs, Coombs Ultrasound, Inc., TN
Patrick Doyle, Medical Exporters, Inc., TN
DOTmed Certified
Keith Kincannon, Plan B Medical, Inc., TX
Mark Crabtree, Equipment Placement Services, TX
DOTmed 100
Mazi Zarrin, Northwest Ultrasound, Inc., WA


International
David Lapenat, ANDA Medical, Inc., Canada
DOTmed Certified/100
Saeed Hashemi, NASS MedImage, Canada
John Di Vona, Great Lakes Ultrasound, Inc., Canada
Lincai Chen, Bitmed Ltd., China
Kevin Ming, Healthpower Technology Ltd., China
Lakshmi Narayana, Man Machine Electronics, India
DOTmed Certified
Niranjan Kumar, India Ultrasound, India
DOTmed Certified/100
Giovanni Carpaneto, Echo Systems SAS, Italy
Artemio Santacruz, Ara Electric SRL, Paraguay
Bill Kalsi, Ticitech S.A, Switzerland

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