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Imaging and the economic crisis: Part 2 -- Recovery and reform
Colleagues,
As reported in Aunt Minnie ... In part 2 of this series, Rick Dana Barlow
AuntMinnie.com contributing writer, examines the outlook for capital equipment purchasing in 2009 and discusses how soon the medical imaging market will be able to dig out of its current economic doldrums.
Depending on the global breadth of product line and market penetration, vendors generally are mixed about sales outlooks for 2009.
Irwin Baker, president at RPM Healthcare Strategies of Glen Head, NY, points to a "clear and consistent pattern of slumping sales for the year, based on 2009 forecasts he's seen from major suppliers. But he also noted that any products tied into clinical and financial strategies and objectives, particularly on the acute care side, should fare better.
Joe Robinson, senior vice president of imaging systems, North America, for Philips Healthcare of Andover, MA, projects that the "market for imaging equipment will dip in 2009" and price pressure over the next 12 to 18 months will be prolonged. "Much of that pressure will be reflected in systems being purchased with fewer features, as customers tighten their belts," he noted. But Philips Healthcare also will continue to invest heavily in R&D, he added.
Thorny expectations in one area, however, may translate into rosy opportunities in others, according to John Vano, president of Radiology Oncology Systems of San Diego, and John Sandstrom, Ph.D., senior vice president of healthcare at Siemens Financial Services.
"We expect that a decline in demand will be followed by a decline in R&D spending by the major manufacturers, and this will ultimately slow the rate of technological advancement in healthcare technologies," Vano said. "The good news is that equipment still needs to be serviced, and service companies can expect stable or even growing revenues..."
...as the Obama administration pushes to reduce healthcare costs, reimbursement rates likely will feel downward pressure, particularly in the area of Medicaid rates, as states face severe budget shortfalls, according to Sandstrom. As a result, healthcare providers will be forced to find more efficient ways to deliver their services to achieve some balance between increased coverage and reduced reimbursement.
...companies developing and marketing healthcare-related information technology systems designed to automate patient billing and other information will be key benefactors, President Obama's economic stimulus package for healthcare offers providers incentives to invest in IT technology, he noted.
Read on at: http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=imc&Pag=dis...
ENJOY!
CC
ENJOY!
CC
As reported in Aunt Minnie ... In part 2 of this series, Rick Dana Barlow
AuntMinnie.com contributing writer, examines the outlook for capital equipment purchasing in 2009 and discusses how soon the medical imaging market will be able to dig out of its current economic doldrums.
Depending on the global breadth of product line and market penetration, vendors generally are mixed about sales outlooks for 2009.
Irwin Baker, president at RPM Healthcare Strategies of Glen Head, NY, points to a "clear and consistent pattern of slumping sales for the year, based on 2009 forecasts he's seen from major suppliers. But he also noted that any products tied into clinical and financial strategies and objectives, particularly on the acute care side, should fare better.
Joe Robinson, senior vice president of imaging systems, North America, for Philips Healthcare of Andover, MA, projects that the "market for imaging equipment will dip in 2009" and price pressure over the next 12 to 18 months will be prolonged. "Much of that pressure will be reflected in systems being purchased with fewer features, as customers tighten their belts," he noted. But Philips Healthcare also will continue to invest heavily in R&D, he added.
Thorny expectations in one area, however, may translate into rosy opportunities in others, according to John Vano, president of Radiology Oncology Systems of San Diego, and John Sandstrom, Ph.D., senior vice president of healthcare at Siemens Financial Services.
"We expect that a decline in demand will be followed by a decline in R&D spending by the major manufacturers, and this will ultimately slow the rate of technological advancement in healthcare technologies," Vano said. "The good news is that equipment still needs to be serviced, and service companies can expect stable or even growing revenues..."
...as the Obama administration pushes to reduce healthcare costs, reimbursement rates likely will feel downward pressure, particularly in the area of Medicaid rates, as states face severe budget shortfalls, according to Sandstrom. As a result, healthcare providers will be forced to find more efficient ways to deliver their services to achieve some balance between increased coverage and reduced reimbursement.
...companies developing and marketing healthcare-related information technology systems designed to automate patient billing and other information will be key benefactors, President Obama's economic stimulus package for healthcare offers providers incentives to invest in IT technology, he noted.
Read on at: http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=imc&Pag=dis...
ENJOY!
CC
ENJOY!
CC
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