Frequently Asked Questions

 

My systems are under contract/warranty, why would I pay to have my probes tested?

The ultrasound system OEM, Independent Service Organization, or multi-vendor service personnel do not have the diagnostic tools to recognize an image quality problem with a probe. Unknowingly, a sonographer will work to optimize the image quality using a defective probe, one with a few dead or weak elements. The result is lengthier patient scans, lower quality images, multiple re-scans, wasted film, wasted physician reading time, sonographer frustration, and "no problem found" service calls.  Independent probe testing will uncover even subtle problems before they become big problems, usually long before the user sees them in the image. If you are under a service contract, you can have defective or even marginal performing probes replaced for FREE.  If you are limited to "one probe per year", probe testing will find the probes that can be repaired for a fraction of the cost, saving your replacement for when it is really needed.

 

How will probe testing reduce my cost?

Preventative medicine is recognized as a right way to reduce the cost of healthcare. Likewise, preventative probe testing is used to uncover hidden damage before it turns into expensive failures. Image quality is degraded by common probe problems, most of which can be repaired for a fraction of the cost of a new probe.  Early detection and repair of a potentially serious problem is far more cost-effective than allowing a mission critical probe to suffer a catastrophic failure requiring a high-cost replacement.

 

How do I know if a bad probe is repairable or not?

Our trained technicians using proprietary probe testing technology provide a graphical report that pinpoints the source of image quality problems. This data is used to determine if a probe can be repaired.  Serial reports can be used to track changes in probe performance over time. Now you have an early warning system that can prevent a costly, unbudgeted surprise.

 

Hidden Cost of poor probe performance

 

Issues	Time	Direct / Indirect Impact
Clinical Outcomes	Delayed Diagnosis Delayed Treatment	Possibility for More Expensive or Substitute Tests
Patient & Referring MD Satisfaction	Rescheduling Patient Inconvenience Delayed Reporting	Additional Hospital Stay Transportation - OP* Lost Income - OP* Personal Expenses - OP*
Ultrasound User / Reader Productivity	Re-Testing Increased Scan Duration Attempts to Repair	Increased cost / scan Loss of Productivity Possible overtime Increased Training
Administrative Costs and Impacts	Unrecoverable Costs: - Sonographer - Physician - Scheduling	Lost Revenue Lost Opportunity Cost Film/Developer Cost Supplies Cost Repair down-time
Marketing and "PR" Impacts	"Reselling" the clinical services Explaining schedule delays & re-testing	Lost Referrals Lost 3rd Party Contracts Lost Reputation

*OP-Out Patient