Magnet Choices - Full Service

Understanding MRI Magnet Equipment Choices, with Lease and Purchase Considerations in your MRI Imaging Center - Module #4

When it was time for the selection of an MRI Magnet Choice for their MRI Imaging Center, we have saved our clients a great deal of money  and kept them from making decisions that upon experienced inspection, was clearly not in their best interest. Similar to buying or leasing a new car for $1.5 million dollars, you want experienced buyer assistance in your corner! You want to have this discussion with us. We can make a real difference and provide second to none assistance and guidance in the negotiation of your MRI Purchase, Lease,  equipment type and model selection , and expensive annual MRI maintenance agreement, for your MRI Imaging Center. We have done this very well, time after time, client after client. And we can do a great job in this area for you!

You will want to fully understand your MRI Imaging Equipment purchase and lease choices, and you have a number of choices. The MRI type, size, weight, dimensions, model, equipment age, date the model you are interested in was first introduced, manufacturer, vendor, and agreement terms that you might choose, will all have long term implications that can be difficult to amend or terminate once made. The MRI Magnet choice that you make, can greatly influence the success or failure of your MRI Imaging Center Project. A poorly considered choice of a MRI Magnet can absolutely have a role in the diminished profitability, and success or failure of your MRI Imaging Center project. MRI Image Scan resolution and interpretation, patient comfort, and exam patient throughput, can all suffer greatly when you make the wrong MRI Magnet Selection for your MRI Imaging center. The selection of the MRI Magnet that you secure and install is not a decision you should make without significant analysis and the experienced assistance of an independent, non-manufacturer  consultant, such as our group, who have an understanding of the factors, history, limitations and benefits of a particular MRI Magnet model under consideration.

What are some of the choices you will need to consider when you select an MRI Magnet for your MRI Imaging center? You might choose; a new or refurbished MRI unit, a 1.5 Tesla strength MRI Magnet, maybe 3.0 Tesla MRI Magnet, maybe a lower field strength extremity unit depending on your needs, do you want a 60 cm or 70 cm wide bore for your MRI Magnet? When you review a specific MRI Magnet to be procured for your MRI Imaging Center, you will also want to know the imaging specialty coil options that you might require for the studies you anticipate needing to perform, and you will need to determine if they are available for the MRI Magnet model under consideration? In your MRI Imaging Center, when considering the selection of your MRI unit, you will need to determine the clinical range of patient imaging studies that you will be performing: Ortho, Brain, Spine, Abdomen, full body, extremity only, contrast or non-contrast studies, or studies with and without contrast? Does a specialized attached or detachable patient table come with the MRI Magnet you are considering for your MRI Imaging Center, or does that require additional purchase as well? How about contrast injection, will that be a necessity for your MRI setting, if so do you want to control the contrast injection process from the operator control room or not? Will you be performing specialized MRI imaging studies that require various additional clinically specific equipment purchases, and build out considerations? What type of MRI specialty coils do you need, and what does your MRI unit come with or not come with, as it relates to patient coils.

One of the very most important considerations in the selection of an MRI Magnet, in my experience, that is rarely discussed and needs to be determined by a savvy MRI Magnet Buyer, is to determine the amount of field engineer maintenance support that is available in a given geographic area, for the MRI Magnet model under purchase or lease consideration.

In the selection process for your MRI Magnet, consider the following; when you have equipment maintenance problems with your MRI that do not allow you to perform patient studies, you will need to know on average, travel time by road, how soon could you expect a maintenance field engineer to arrive at your MRI Imaging Center site for a service call? In the selection of the MRI Magnet for your Imaging Center, you will want to make sure the MRI Magnet you are considering acquiring , has a history of having a high amount of operational “UPTIME” as compared to the MRI units available from competitors. The meter is running each day when you build an imaging center, staff is scheduled and being paid, the equipment and building lease is running, building utility costs are occurring, and more. In addition to the expense side that never goes away, as it relates to equipment maintenance issues, “downtime”, the unexpected loss of one day of MRI Imaging Center Patient Revenue, can approach, exceed, and deprive your center of $10,000 to $15,000 or more in patient revenue.  MRI Imaging Equipment downtime is a large financial liability you should work to avoid at every opportunity. MRI equipment downtime, if it is happening often enough, and takes hold, can lead to failure for your MRI Imaging Center. I can say, in some markets where I have been responsible for the planning, and implementation of an MRI Imaging Center, having one of the major vendors who have in the past had a quick field response to MRI Maintenance issues in a remote area, made the difference in recommending the selection of one MRI vendor over another. In addition, with MRI down time, you never know in advance if your Equipment Downtime is going to be short (< 24 hours), or longer due to the need to obtain parts for your MRI Unit. So the MRI vendor with the most MRI units installed and needing to be serviced in your geographic area (The Service Team are often in the area), will have more support and maintenance engineers in your area when you need them. I have never been disappointed in recommending the purchase of an MRI from a MRI vendor, that has a record of very positive field maintenance and engineering response time, in a given geographic area where I was going to be recommending their MRI unit to my client.

Will your MRI Magnet in your MRI Imaging Center be leased or purchased, and under what terms, and for how long a period of time? The terms of an unreasonably expensive lease or purchase agreement for your MRI Magnet, can add many thousands of additional dollars each year, to your MRI Imaging Center Project expenses. In our experience, these purchase and lease agreements are many pages in length and should be very carefully reviewed. We have worked very closely and successfully with our MRI Imaging Center clients over many years, to negotiate with an MRI equipment vendor on behalf of our client, and bring them considerable cost savings and real bottom line benefit. I have on behalf of clients, in the past, viewed lease and purchase agreements for two comparable MRI units, two different vendors, and found great differences in the terms and provisions of each, sometimes with very significant expense implications. In one MRI Imaging Center Vendor Magnet lease that I had reviewed, the client was going to be charged additional fees per scan in any given lease year, in any instance in which their scan volume might exceed a threshold number of scans performed on the leased unit, which was identified in the voluminous lease agreement, but had been overlooked by the client and became an unwelcome surprise.

As it relates to a lease on the MRI unit for your MRI Imaging Center, I work with one MRI Vendor who offers on their lease if desired, a front end 6 month skip in lease payments which is tacked on to the end of the client lease period.  The real benefit here, in the first six months of your MRI Imaging Center Operation your insurer payments are trickling in and are not caught up until about six months in business, if all goes well. Meanwhile, paying your expenses without corresponding offset in new imaging revenue, will put you in a negative income situation until your revenue rebounds and exceeds expenses, again, hopefully within a six month period. In one of my most recent MRI Imaging Center Turnkey projects, in review of the MRI Financial and Business Viability Analysis, when we took advantage of the MRI vendor six month skip in monthly lease payments on a new MRI Magnet, that relief in 6 monthly payments equaled $89,496, essentially $15,000 per month. That payment skip, and the temporary relief from payments, made a significant positive difference in Imaging Center viability, cash flow and reduction in monthly drawdown of startup funds.

It is important when selecting an MRI Magnet for your MRI Imaging Center, to understand exactly what the various equipment maintenance/service agreements cover, or do not cover, and for how long and at what price. We carefully negotiate these MRI Magnet annual Imaging Center maintenance agreements as well, and have considerable experience in obtaining the most favorable maintenance agreement terms and keeping more money in the pockets of our clients. Keep in mind these annual MRI Magnet equipment maintenance agreements can cost you 100k-150k or more per year in expense on a new MRI Magnet. In a six year lease period, this amount is significant and can quickly add up to real money! You will benefit from our consultant and negotiation assistance in this crucial area of negotiation of annual MRI maintenance agreements.

MRI Consulting Group has provided consultation to many clients related to these questions, issues, and more, and have helped clients to understand and negotiate very advantageous pricing and payment terms for their MRI Imaging Center; Magnet Leases, Magnet Purchases, Magnet Coils, associated MRI center imaging equipment packages, and the crucial annual maintenance agreements. We have provided consultant assistance with a significant number of client MRI purchases and lease agreements, and work with all vendors and suppliers. You do not want to regret the selection of MRI Imaging Center Equipment that you wish you had known more about, had you known what to look for, and how to evaluate your many possible choices. Let us sort out with you in advance, the MRI Imagining Center Equipment that you will need, so that you have the best possible opportunity to have a highly professional, patient and safety centric, profitable MRI Imaging Center.

We can help you with your MRI Magnet selection, and many necessary procurement questions that you might have for your MRI Imaging Center Project. The MRI magnet choices have quickly grown over time. There are many new and some refurbished MRI units available to choose from with much to consider before selection. We are very proud to have advised our MRI Imaging Center clients on some excellent choices for their MRI Imaging Center, and have also steered them away from some potential choices that would have not have been in their best interest. Through our deep independent industry wide relationships and Turnkey MRI Imaging Center build out experience, we have helped clients to negotiate purchase and lease agreements that have shaved many thousands of dollars off of the price they were informed was the price of their MRI Magnet, Coils, Accessories, and maintenance agreement, always with an understanding of their clinical scanning requirements.

If you have fears, concerns, needs, and questions regarding the risk and benefit of the MRI Magnet lease or purchase for your MRI Imaging Center, or the very substantial expense of the MRI Magnet annual service agreement, we are the group that can save you significant amounts of expense, help to alleviate your fears and concerns, and hopefully meet your needs through increased education, information, negotiation assistance, and independent guidance.

In this Consultation and Assistance Module we will address

• Understanding all the areas an Owners Representative/Consultant can save you money in the MRI lease, purchase, selection of equipment, terms and conditions, and annual warranty and maintenance agreements.
• Purchase or Lease; What are the benefits or liabilities and very significant details to be aware of in the leasing or purchase of your MRI unit?
• Selection of a new or refurbished MRI unit, what you need to know and how does the pricing differ?
• Who are the Manufacturers and Vendors of MRI units?
• Value of MRI scan acuity and resolution, and how to make it work to your MRI Imaging Center Advantage.
• Making sure you understand MRI model and manufacturer comparisons.
• Value of MRI scan throughput, and how to make it work to your MRI Imaging Center Advantage.
• Understanding the benefits and liabilities of either a new or refurbished MRI Unit for your MRI Imaging Center.
• Understanding the 70 cm wide bore MRI unit, as compared to the previous standard 60 cm bore.
• Selection of MRI Specialty Coils, and what comes with your lease or purchased unit.
• Don’t lose critical MRI scan revenue on MRI downtime. Understanding the value of MRI Imaging Equipment Uptime, and selection of MRI vendors based on known, demonstrated MRI Field Maintenance and support in your Geographic Market.
• How energy efficient is the MRI Magnet that you are looking at? What MRI units are more efficient than other MRI units, and what does MRI unit efficiency look like, electricity, Helium, etc.
• Looking closely at voluminous MRI Lease and Purchase documents? What should you be looking for, and be aware of in these documents?
• Understanding City Water Back up cooling systems for a fraction of the expense of a backup generator. Systems and what you need to know.
• Do you have a clinical specialization (Spine, Neuro, other) that you want optimized in the selection of your MRI Imaging Unit?
• Do you have special construction or building refit considerations related to any number of items?
• Was an MRI Magnet housed in the suite before your new lease, what type and size magnet was the previous unit? Is the building site, slab on grade?
• Are there any special considerations to be aware of for your MRI Magnet siting; cryogen venting, proximity to other medical services and hallways, low ceiling heights, location of elevators and all sources of electromagnetic interference and vibration, close parking decks, major traffic corridors, small interior dimensions, etc.