John Pereira, CEO of United Medical Technologies Corp. adds that it's not always easy to find used digital mammography units to buy and refurbish, and when they do, they quickly are sold.

"I have never seen so many analog mammography units coming out because everyone in the U.S. is going digital," he says. "I don't know anyone who will buy a new analog machine, and if they are looking for a used one, it's almost always digital but there are very few out there. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon."


Brian Van Almen, Account Manager for Classic Diagnostic Imaging, still sees a number of analog refurbishments and also a great demand for parts for these systems because of the market.

"With the economy the way it is, those big capital equipment things are being put on hold so people are trying to fix what they have and are looking for a more cost effective alternative," he says. "We have a 17,000-square-foot warehouse full of parts and offer a number of different refurbishment options."

Lowe says the way to stay competitive in an oversaturated market is by having systems in inventory and keeping them prepared to ship out for when orders come in.

"Typically when a customer decides to go digital, they want to start scanning as quickly as possible," she says. "We have an advantage by keeping several systems in stock in order to have a quick turn around for our customers."

Refurbished Process

Those who make a living refurbishing equipment have found that they needed to change with the times also, since new digital equipment was coming to their facilities. The process is a little different than the standard analog equipment.

At Metropolis, Gugel says they repair and service mammography units, which entails having the right engineering talent to know what needs to be done.

"Just like with all our refurbished systems, we first test the units to see what state they are in and see what is needed," Gugel says. "Then we take them apart, clean them, replace parts that are needed, replace belts and switches and test them to make sure they work. Once the tube is reloaded and the unit put back together, we put a coat of electro-static paint on the unit, calibrate and send it to be installed."

Integrity Medical Systems, Inc. trained their staff in digital from the outset and are fully prepared for any of the newer systems when it comes to refurbishments.

"All of the systems come here first and are fully calibrated," says Denholtz. "Digital systems are hooked up to our internal PACS and workstations are tested for functionality and calibrated image quality."

More Industry Reports