From the March 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Technology on the horizon includes imaging in infants and children using ultrasound contrast agents. Ultrasound contrast enhances the visualization and assessment of urinary reflux, for example, when it is instilled into the bladder. Urosonography is preferable to the voiding cystogram (VCUG) because it doesn’t use radiation. Ultrasound provides safe and less expensive alternatives to invasive procedures.
General & Vascular Ultrasound Prices
Low-end: $90,000
High-end: $555,615
Competitors
GE, Hitachi, Mindray, Philips, Siemens and Toshiba.
Echo Ultrasound Prices
Low-end: $127,297
High-end: $251,505
Competitors
GE, Philips, Siemens and Toshiba.
The human touch
No less important than having the proper equipment and specially trained staff is the ability to keep the pediatric patient still and calm before and during the examination. This ensures a successful outcome and reduces re-exposure events.
Gaining a child’s trust in an unfamiliar world — whether through the presence of familiar adults, an empathetic staff, a change in scenery or other tools — can help in gaining the patient’s assistance in obtaining good images. Hospitals and imaging centers will want to examine not only the aesthetics of their physical surroundings, but also the prevailing attitude of personnel, the noise levels in exam rooms and the procedures leading up to and during the exam.
The more dedicated a radiology department can be to its youngest patients, the greater the likelihood of a successful outcome, especially in the use of the lowest dose of radiation possible.
About the authors: Cris Bennett, Cassandra Gipson, Julie Johnson, Tom Watson and Rod Faulkner are health care industry analysts with MD Buyline.
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