When Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, R.I., decided to invest in a 1.5T Philips Achieva XR MRI, the facility made plans to give the unit a makeover ahead of time.

The Achieva XR is the only MR system on the market that can be upgraded to a 3 Tesla field strength magnet with minimum downtime and no deinstallation process. Dr. Brian Stainken, chairman, diagnostic imaging, says the upgrade potential played a major role in the facility's decision to purchase the Achieva XR unit.

"We're a small hospital and we have limited capital reserve. We wanted to prolong the value of that investment as long as possible and the option to upgrade to 3T allows us to do that," says Stainken. "It really allows us to make a choice when we ramp up to 3T without acquiring another magnet, which we probably couldn't sustain. It makes 3T feasible for us [because] it's ready hardware and software wise."

At a time when hospital budgets are tight, the center isn't alone in examining the efficacy of upgrades in curbing costs. Convenient, or better yet free upgrades can make a piece of equipment or a software solution more attractive to an end-user looking to invest wisely. The passage of health care reform will enable facilities to become even savvier in defining the utility of upgrade opportunities.

Equipment: thinking ahead
Radiologists at the Williams Medical Center are impressed with the 1.5T Achieva XR imaging quality and are planning to test the unit's 3T capabilities in a little over a year, says Stainken. Because the facility purchased the Achieva XR system, the transition to a higher field strength magnet won't take more than a few days. The 3T magnet is already a part of the unit.

"The XR product is actually delivered with a 3 Tesla magnet under the covers," says Stephen Mitchell, senior marketing director, MR, for Philips Healthcare. "When the customer decides that they want to upgrade, we would simply come in and ramp the magnet from a 1.5T to a 3T."

This upgrade option enables facilities to avoid the declining trade-in value of their existing system and save thousands on the cost of a new unit. Philips began shipping the Achieva XR system about two years ago.

Although 3T seems to be the next step in the MR technology, many customers may be reluctant or unable to invest in the unit today. For some providers, the decision may be a financial one, where a 3T unit is outside the limits of their budget. For others, the clinical applications of the higher field strength magnet may not be developed enough to make the investment at this point. Some customers may also base the decision on their competitive market and consider purchasing a 3T unit if it becomes necessary to level the playing field with other providers.

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