The market for mobile imaging services in North America should see further growth from its current levels of $686 million (U.S.) to $1.2 billion by 2008 according to San Jose, CA international market research firm Frost & Sullivan. The study, Growth Opportunities in North American Mobile Imaging Markets, states that as sophisticated high-performance imaging modalities become indispensable in medical practice, the heavy cost of procuring these systems is driving the market for mobile imaging units that can be shared between healthcare facilities.
The firm believes that the combination of low or sporadic procedure throughput, dispersed populations, and small medical imaging budgets has made shared mobile imaging services the ideal solution for many small-to-medium imaging operations, according to industry analyst, Antonio Garcia.
The company’s analysis indicates that the increased costs of purchasing, maintaining, and transporting systems are likely to keep pushing up leasing contract prices. This factor, coupled with rising procedure volumes, this could make the ownership of fixed systems look more attractive to small-to-medium hospitals and imaging centers.
However, use of imaging systems by cardiologists and neurosurgeons in addition to radiologists, is leading many hospitals and imaging centers to add mobile units to cope with the increasing workload. The group sees interest in the market by modality vendors, many of whom have expanded their presence as mobile-service management providers and coach contractors.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersDecember 12, 2002
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