When Premier Imaging chose a replacement for its CT scanner, competition, reimbursements, and costs were some of the factors that brought up concerns for the medical imaging center. In order to be competitive, Premier Imaging had to at least upgrade to a 16-slice scanner. Otherwise they were going to lose many patients due to certain insurance company policies. As Dayna Hodgden, CEO, states, “We noticed that some of the insurance companies… will not reimburse for CTA [computed tomography angiography] without a 16-slice scanner.” Additionally, Missouri is a certificate of need (CON) state, which requires state approval for certain healthcare providers before they offer new or expanded services if associated costs exceed a specific amount. Because of this stipulation, it was “extremely important that we came in under this limit,” says Hodgden. Naturally, Premier Imaging wanted to offer the most state-of-the-art technology to its patients, and therefore the clinic turned to Siemens Proven Excellence refurbishing program in order to purchase a 64-slice scanner.

Siemens Healthcare with its Proven Excellence Program offers original equipment manufacturer (OEM) refurbished imaging equipment at outstanding price/performance ratios along with new equipment warranties, financing, and flexible service contracts. Siemens gave Premier Imaging the opportunity to offer patients state-of-the-art technology while staying within its budget. Budget aside, Premier Imaging was impressed with Siemens technological capabilities (e.g. image quality) and with the like-new appearance of their refurbished systems. Mark Lavin, MD, radiologist at Premier Imaging, states that, “There wouldn’t have been a way to tell it wasn’t new.” When purchasing refurbished systems through Siemens, software updates to the latest status, in-depth training, flexible financing solutions, and service contracts are just some of the many advantages customers will receive.