There's a different
MR Coil designed for
every part of the body.
(Courtesy of Toshiba)
MR Coil designed for
every part of the body.
(Courtesy of Toshiba)
DOTmed Industry Sector Report: MRI Coil Sales & Service Companies
December 10, 2007
Joan Trombetti
This article is from in the November 2007 issue of DOTmed Business News. A list of registered users that provide sales & service can be found at the end.
There are a limited number companies that sell, service and refurbish MR coils. Many, but not all, of the OEMs manufacture their own coils, and some have their own coil refurbishing division. The market for MR coils has grown to about $300 million annually worldwide. The coil market has also been consolidated through acquisitions. For example, about a year ago Philips Medical Systems purchased Intermagnetics, a leading MR magnet and coil manufacturer, and as part Intermagnetics, Philips also acquired Invivo, another leading coil manufacturer.
Siemens Medical Solutions has a coil refurbishing division. Nealie Hartman, clinical marketing manager, MRI Division, Malvern, PA, believes that there are some risks when you deal with an independent company. She feels that quality standards come into play with refurbished coils, and a reliable MR coil repair company should follow the standards of repair and remanufacture of a quality product. "We do service our coils to those standards," says Hartman, "however, there is also a market for refurbished coils to meet the needs of hospitals and imaging centers that simply can't afford new ones."
Siemens carries a complete range of standard and specialized MR coils, including the new TIM technology (Total Imaging Matrix). TIM coils eliminate the need for patient repositioning and manual coil changes.
The new advances in the MR system complexity has created the relatively new market for refurbished coils. When coils are refurbished, it usually entails repairing the electronic and mechanical parts, re-tuning, and aesthetic refinishing the product so it looks like new, and performs like new.
Greg Pearson, VP for MagnaServ, Inc., Stuart, FL, states that his company sends all coils to the OEMs for repairs. He believes that this ensures the coils will perform to OEM specification. "We outsource all coil repair to guarantee the highest quality standards and best over all warranty in the industry," said Pearson. He feels that a hospital can pay, on average, half the cost of new when buying a refurbished MR coil from MagnaServ, and still get the same quality.
Sonora Medical Systems, Longmont, CO repairs coils and sells MR test equipment. Bruce Smith, VP, says that Sonora services coils for users worldwide. "We service coils manufactured by and for the major OEMs, as well as third party coils." He confirmed that some OEMs do not have their own repair shops and have to rely on reputable ISOs to do their repairs and refurbishing. He also said that because of branding and outsourcing, "it's hard to say how many coils are manufactured by OEMs or independent companies."
LeRoy Blawat, president, Resonant Diagnostics LCC and Resonant Research LCC, Milwaukee, WI, has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the MR coil business. Blawat has worked at Medical Advances, MEDRAD, and GE in the coil research and development departments, and is very well versed in the latest MR coil technologies. He repairs and designs coils, including the new 3T coils. "3T coil geometries are basically the same as the 1.5T coil designs except there are more parts and more safety countermeasures employed due to the higher operating frequency," says Blawat. "With the newer GE coils, there are replacement parts that are hard to get because of their propriety nature. If a coil repair shop intends to play in this new 3T market, second sourcing of these critical parts will be a game changer for the companies that can do it well." Meaning, if you can't get the part from an OEM, then you have to go to an independent company that you can rely on. "You have to find a reliable source for those parts, because clients want a working part back as quickly as possible so they can go on with their services," explains Blawat. "Based on what I've seen, a hospital can save 30 to 40 percent on the average by buying refurbished coils," he added.
Rick Sagadin, president, Carolina Medical Parts, Winston Salem, NC, says that CMP has repaired several 3.0T coils this past year. "The biggest difference between 3T and 1.5T coils are the dramatic differences in component values and the difficulty in sourcing such specialized components," states Sagadin. He says that CMP typically tries to provide a full coil repair experience for each coil, including the electronics, cables and the coil cosmetics. "While there are two basic types of coil design, each manufacturer does it differently with their own interfaces and circuitry," says Sagadin. He believes that a hospital can save 30 to 50 percent on a refurbished coil, and a coil repair will run only about 10 to 15 percent of the replacement cost.
Dr. Randall Jones, president, Resonance Innovations LCC, Omaha, NE, feels that, "because of the scaling of performance, 3T systems are in increasing demand, yet the cost/performance improvement remains a limiting factor. The design theory employed for these resonators varies somewhat from those for lower frequencies and a new set of design experiences are required of the coil engineer."
For example, MEDRAD, one of the leading independent coil manufacturers, headquartered in Warrendale, PA, is now offering the 3.0T Prostate eCoil MR Endorectal Coil compatible with magnetic resonance MR scanners made by Philips and Siemens, according to Rajeev Sehgal, Product Manager. "The 3.0T Prostate eCoil conforms to the size and shape of the prostate for consistent contact between the gland and the signal-amplifying elements of the coil. The result is small field-of-view (FOV) and high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and specificity that yield clearer pictures of the prostate. These pictures provide information needed by clinicians to diagnose and stage cancer, and also to plan and deliver targeted treatment, such as radiation therapy," says Sehgal.
According to Daniel Dieter, MEDRAD's product communications specialist, the company manufactures new coils for multiple MR scanners and has a multi-vendor coil business called MEDRAD MVS that repairs coils for all the OEMs. Dieter believes that the total number of coils made by all OEMs, or that carry an OEM brand, is around 95 percent of the market.
Rick Stockton, president, ATLAS Medical Technologies, Ontario, CA, sells coils from most major manufacturers. His company has offices in six countries. These offices have ongoing technical training and utilize other training facilities in
the U.S. "We are starting rotational training with our field personnel," states Stockton. "They will rotate from the field into the warehouse for further advanced training on new devices or procedures to provide our customers with better service." Stockton believes a medical facility can save significantly
with refurbished coils.
The VP of MPX Sales & Service LLC, Richard Dishman, says that his company in Whitmore Lake, MI, typically offers coils for exchange sale, and does not do repairs. Dishman believes that this helps hospitals save time and money. "Often times hospitals will buy an coil from us to use as a backup in case of problems with an existing 'in use' coil," says Dishman. "If a coil has to be sent out for repair, and there isn't one available to take its place, valuable time and money is lost." MPX carries GE Medical 1.0, 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla coils, and serves both the domestic and international markets.
Marshall Shannon, director, Image Technology, DeSoto, TX, believes that prices of refurbished coils are usually 50 to 70 percent lower than the OEM price for a new coil. He says that coil repair often involves having a source of internal components and test equipment that can facilitate repair. "It also involves having additional cases or case parts to be able to repair cosmetic damage or handling equipment associated with the coils. Having an MR test bay allows us to check our repaired coils to insure quality prior to returning them to the customer," states Shannon. He believes one of best third party coil manufacturers is MEDRAD. "They make several coils for the OEMs under their name or under the OEM name that are excellent, high performance coils."
Dr. Randall Jones has designed, created or supervised the creation of approximately 100 different coils. Dr. Jones states, "There have been many technology changes in MR since its introduction in the 1980s. They include changes in magnet technology, gradient technology and coil technology. Early
MR systems used linear coils. In the 1990s phased array coils were introduced.
Coil technology today has come a long way, with 8, 16 and 32 channel systems. They are designed and optimized for each part of the body." With each technological advance in MR system complexity, demand is created for new anatomically specific coils with more elements, improved performance and better resolution.
Dr. Jones sums up coil repair by saying, "The challenge to those doing the refurbishing is the extremely broad variation in coil design, electronic system interface, parts and schematic availability. The underlying problem of refurbished coils is the buyer's view of their long-term durability. Many buyers simply will not take the 'chance' on refurbished equipment even at bargain prices, as they avoid the actual or perceived service and reliability issues as compared to those of new coils. It could be argued that the track record of newly manufactured coils may not be appreciably higher than those of refurbished
coils however, but I'll leave those statistics
for another time," says Dr. Jones.
DOTmed Registered MRI Coil Sales & Service Companies
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.
Domestic
Rick Stockton, Atlas Medical Technologies, CA
DOTmed Certified/100
Bruce Smith, Sonora Medical Systems, CO
DOTmed Certified/100
Ralph Frizzle, GECO, FL
David Denholtz, Integrity Medical Systems, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Gregg Pearson, MagnaServ, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified
Scott Simmons, Platinum Medical, FL
Ray McClellan, MRI Technical Services, Inc., GA
Richard Dishman, MPX Sales and Service, LLC, MI
DOTmed Certified
Rick Sagadin, Carolina Medical Parts, NC
DOTmed Certified/100
Clark Wilkins, JDI Solutions, Inc., NC
DOTmed Certified/100
Randall Jones, Resonance Innovations, LLC, NE
Tim Wright, Virtual Medical Sales, Inc., NY
Marshall Shannon, Image Technology Consulting, LLC, TX
DOTmed Certified/100
Jeremy Lacomis, Expert Imaging, VA
LeRoy Blawat, Resonant Diagnostics, LLC, WI
DOTmed Certified
International
Sichao Hu, MRTC, China
Lars Braun Nielsen, Epoka Medic Mission A/S, Denmark
DOTmed 100
Abdelrahim Khalil, Besisc, Inc., Egypt
Vijai Shankar Raja, Cura Medical Equipment P. Ltd, India
Johnny Chan, Trident Medical, Taiwan
This article is from in the November 2007 issue of DOTmed Business News. A list of registered users that provide sales & service can be found at the end.
There are a limited number companies that sell, service and refurbish MR coils. Many, but not all, of the OEMs manufacture their own coils, and some have their own coil refurbishing division. The market for MR coils has grown to about $300 million annually worldwide. The coil market has also been consolidated through acquisitions. For example, about a year ago Philips Medical Systems purchased Intermagnetics, a leading MR magnet and coil manufacturer, and as part Intermagnetics, Philips also acquired Invivo, another leading coil manufacturer.
Siemens Medical Solutions has a coil refurbishing division. Nealie Hartman, clinical marketing manager, MRI Division, Malvern, PA, believes that there are some risks when you deal with an independent company. She feels that quality standards come into play with refurbished coils, and a reliable MR coil repair company should follow the standards of repair and remanufacture of a quality product. "We do service our coils to those standards," says Hartman, "however, there is also a market for refurbished coils to meet the needs of hospitals and imaging centers that simply can't afford new ones."
Siemens carries a complete range of standard and specialized MR coils, including the new TIM technology (Total Imaging Matrix). TIM coils eliminate the need for patient repositioning and manual coil changes.
The new advances in the MR system complexity has created the relatively new market for refurbished coils. When coils are refurbished, it usually entails repairing the electronic and mechanical parts, re-tuning, and aesthetic refinishing the product so it looks like new, and performs like new.
Dr. Chen, R&D Director,
and Abby Jones, R&D Associate,
Resonance Innovations, reviewing
the design of a 16
channel pediatric head
spine array.
and Abby Jones, R&D Associate,
Resonance Innovations, reviewing
the design of a 16
channel pediatric head
spine array.
Greg Pearson, VP for MagnaServ, Inc., Stuart, FL, states that his company sends all coils to the OEMs for repairs. He believes that this ensures the coils will perform to OEM specification. "We outsource all coil repair to guarantee the highest quality standards and best over all warranty in the industry," said Pearson. He feels that a hospital can pay, on average, half the cost of new when buying a refurbished MR coil from MagnaServ, and still get the same quality.
Sonora Medical Systems, Longmont, CO repairs coils and sells MR test equipment. Bruce Smith, VP, says that Sonora services coils for users worldwide. "We service coils manufactured by and for the major OEMs, as well as third party coils." He confirmed that some OEMs do not have their own repair shops and have to rely on reputable ISOs to do their repairs and refurbishing. He also said that because of branding and outsourcing, "it's hard to say how many coils are manufactured by OEMs or independent companies."
LeRoy Blawat, president, Resonant Diagnostics LCC and Resonant Research LCC, Milwaukee, WI, has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the MR coil business. Blawat has worked at Medical Advances, MEDRAD, and GE in the coil research and development departments, and is very well versed in the latest MR coil technologies. He repairs and designs coils, including the new 3T coils. "3T coil geometries are basically the same as the 1.5T coil designs except there are more parts and more safety countermeasures employed due to the higher operating frequency," says Blawat. "With the newer GE coils, there are replacement parts that are hard to get because of their propriety nature. If a coil repair shop intends to play in this new 3T market, second sourcing of these critical parts will be a game changer for the companies that can do it well." Meaning, if you can't get the part from an OEM, then you have to go to an independent company that you can rely on. "You have to find a reliable source for those parts, because clients want a working part back as quickly as possible so they can go on with their services," explains Blawat. "Based on what I've seen, a hospital can save 30 to 40 percent on the average by buying refurbished coils," he added.
LeRoy Blawat, president,
Resonant Diagnostics, building
a 7T Head Coil prototype
for research studies.
Resonant Diagnostics, building
a 7T Head Coil prototype
for research studies.
Rick Sagadin, president, Carolina Medical Parts, Winston Salem, NC, says that CMP has repaired several 3.0T coils this past year. "The biggest difference between 3T and 1.5T coils are the dramatic differences in component values and the difficulty in sourcing such specialized components," states Sagadin. He says that CMP typically tries to provide a full coil repair experience for each coil, including the electronics, cables and the coil cosmetics. "While there are two basic types of coil design, each manufacturer does it differently with their own interfaces and circuitry," says Sagadin. He believes that a hospital can save 30 to 50 percent on a refurbished coil, and a coil repair will run only about 10 to 15 percent of the replacement cost.
Dr. Randall Jones, president, Resonance Innovations LCC, Omaha, NE, feels that, "because of the scaling of performance, 3T systems are in increasing demand, yet the cost/performance improvement remains a limiting factor. The design theory employed for these resonators varies somewhat from those for lower frequencies and a new set of design experiences are required of the coil engineer."
For example, MEDRAD, one of the leading independent coil manufacturers, headquartered in Warrendale, PA, is now offering the 3.0T Prostate eCoil MR Endorectal Coil compatible with magnetic resonance MR scanners made by Philips and Siemens, according to Rajeev Sehgal, Product Manager. "The 3.0T Prostate eCoil conforms to the size and shape of the prostate for consistent contact between the gland and the signal-amplifying elements of the coil. The result is small field-of-view (FOV) and high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and specificity that yield clearer pictures of the prostate. These pictures provide information needed by clinicians to diagnose and stage cancer, and also to plan and deliver targeted treatment, such as radiation therapy," says Sehgal.
An 1.5T HD breast coil -
breast studies are one
of the fasting growing
areas of MR imaging.
(Courtesy Platinum Medical Parts)
breast studies are one
of the fasting growing
areas of MR imaging.
(Courtesy Platinum Medical Parts)
According to Daniel Dieter, MEDRAD's product communications specialist, the company manufactures new coils for multiple MR scanners and has a multi-vendor coil business called MEDRAD MVS that repairs coils for all the OEMs. Dieter believes that the total number of coils made by all OEMs, or that carry an OEM brand, is around 95 percent of the market.
Rick Stockton, president, ATLAS Medical Technologies, Ontario, CA, sells coils from most major manufacturers. His company has offices in six countries. These offices have ongoing technical training and utilize other training facilities in
the U.S. "We are starting rotational training with our field personnel," states Stockton. "They will rotate from the field into the warehouse for further advanced training on new devices or procedures to provide our customers with better service." Stockton believes a medical facility can save significantly
with refurbished coils.
The VP of MPX Sales & Service LLC, Richard Dishman, says that his company in Whitmore Lake, MI, typically offers coils for exchange sale, and does not do repairs. Dishman believes that this helps hospitals save time and money. "Often times hospitals will buy an coil from us to use as a backup in case of problems with an existing 'in use' coil," says Dishman. "If a coil has to be sent out for repair, and there isn't one available to take its place, valuable time and money is lost." MPX carries GE Medical 1.0, 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla coils, and serves both the domestic and international markets.
Marshall Shannon, director, Image Technology, DeSoto, TX, believes that prices of refurbished coils are usually 50 to 70 percent lower than the OEM price for a new coil. He says that coil repair often involves having a source of internal components and test equipment that can facilitate repair. "It also involves having additional cases or case parts to be able to repair cosmetic damage or handling equipment associated with the coils. Having an MR test bay allows us to check our repaired coils to insure quality prior to returning them to the customer," states Shannon. He believes one of best third party coil manufacturers is MEDRAD. "They make several coils for the OEMs under their name or under the OEM name that are excellent, high performance coils."
Dr. Randall Jones has designed, created or supervised the creation of approximately 100 different coils. Dr. Jones states, "There have been many technology changes in MR since its introduction in the 1980s. They include changes in magnet technology, gradient technology and coil technology. Early
MR systems used linear coils. In the 1990s phased array coils were introduced.
Coil technology today has come a long way, with 8, 16 and 32 channel systems. They are designed and optimized for each part of the body." With each technological advance in MR system complexity, demand is created for new anatomically specific coils with more elements, improved performance and better resolution.
Dr. Jones sums up coil repair by saying, "The challenge to those doing the refurbishing is the extremely broad variation in coil design, electronic system interface, parts and schematic availability. The underlying problem of refurbished coils is the buyer's view of their long-term durability. Many buyers simply will not take the 'chance' on refurbished equipment even at bargain prices, as they avoid the actual or perceived service and reliability issues as compared to those of new coils. It could be argued that the track record of newly manufactured coils may not be appreciably higher than those of refurbished
coils however, but I'll leave those statistics
for another time," says Dr. Jones.
DOTmed Registered MRI Coil Sales & Service Companies
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.
Domestic
Rick Stockton, Atlas Medical Technologies, CA
DOTmed Certified/100
Bruce Smith, Sonora Medical Systems, CO
DOTmed Certified/100
Ralph Frizzle, GECO, FL
David Denholtz, Integrity Medical Systems, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Gregg Pearson, MagnaServ, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified
Scott Simmons, Platinum Medical, FL
Ray McClellan, MRI Technical Services, Inc., GA
Richard Dishman, MPX Sales and Service, LLC, MI
DOTmed Certified
Rick Sagadin, Carolina Medical Parts, NC
DOTmed Certified/100
Clark Wilkins, JDI Solutions, Inc., NC
DOTmed Certified/100
Randall Jones, Resonance Innovations, LLC, NE
Tim Wright, Virtual Medical Sales, Inc., NY
Marshall Shannon, Image Technology Consulting, LLC, TX
DOTmed Certified/100
Jeremy Lacomis, Expert Imaging, VA
LeRoy Blawat, Resonant Diagnostics, LLC, WI
DOTmed Certified
International
Sichao Hu, MRTC, China
Lars Braun Nielsen, Epoka Medic Mission A/S, Denmark
DOTmed 100
Abdelrahim Khalil, Besisc, Inc., Egypt
Vijai Shankar Raja, Cura Medical Equipment P. Ltd, India
Johnny Chan, Trident Medical, Taiwan