Sponsored by Innovatus Imaging
Although the name, Innovatus Imaging, has been around only since 2017 when Bayer MultiVendor Service, MD MedTech and Wetsco merged into one organization, the expertise, talent, processes and exceptional outcomes have been around for decades.
Together, teams of engineers, subject matter experts and repair technicians have repaired more than 150,000 ultrasound probes and 30,000+ MRI coils, accumulating tremendous amounts of failure analysis data which serves as a massive knowledge base for continual innovation, design and development. As a result, Innovatus Imaging has been able to not only provide accurate repairs with coveted industry-leading warranty rates, they have been able to do so with fast turn-around times, easy access to loaners and more for both probes and coils.
“Based on the particular probe model, with a high degree of certainty, we know what to expect before the customer’s product arrives at our facility. This is due to our proprietary, expansive and verifiable data which tells us not just what parts are likely to fail, but also how and when,” says Jon Hoffman, General Manager, Ultrasound Center of Excellence.
In 2008, the company pioneered the industry’s first “swap at the repair price” program (TotalRepair) that other providers attempt to mimic. Innovatus is the only company that publishes a list of fully repairable products.
“Customers know, up-front, that their product is repairable. No more send-it-in-and-we’ll-let-you-know,” says Matt Tomory, Vice President of Ultrasound.
There are currently over 100 probe models on the TotalRepair list. Through its RapidRepair program, Innovatus Imaging is able to repair Philips X7-2t and X8-2t TEE probes in 3-5 days with consistently high levels of success. Another industry-changing program offered by Innovatus is its MyInventory program which guarantees qualifying probe customers loaner availability by creating reserves specific to their operating inventory. Through this program, health care providers can avoid the high costs of market-priced exchanges and maintain continued, worry-free workflow.
Centers of Excellence for Probe and MRI Coil Repair, and Design and Development
Innovatus Imaging is the only company in the imaging industry to operate three Centers of Excellence focusing on both ultrasound and MRI coil repair and servicing, engineering, product development, research and testing to uncover more efficient methods, products and processes for extending the life of highly critical diagnostic equipment, allowing health care facilities to operate more efficiently and cost effectively.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Innovatus Imaging Centers of Excellence are located as follows:
- MRI Coil Repair and Radiography Systems – Pittsburgh, PA
- Ultrasound Probe Repair – Tulsa, OK
- Engineering, Design and Manufacturing – Denver, CO
The vision behind operating Centers of Excellence that go beyond traditional depot repair facilities, according to Innovatus Imaging CEO Dave Johnson, is to continue to improve upon the status quo to not just save lives through accurate diagnosis due to high-performing devices, but to also enable facilities to operate with greater efficiencies, less operating costs and thus be in a position to improve access and costs for patients.
Technological and Cost Advantages
Beyond passing on efficiencies to health care providers, Innovatus Imaging continuously explores new ideas and improves methodologies for repairing probes and coils to not only assure they perform as originally intended, but to also enable providers to extend the life of their equipment investments and lower overall operating cost.
Innovation comes to life at Innovatus’ FDA-registered Center of Excellence for Design and Manufacturing, located in Denver, Colorado, and led by Innovatus co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Mike LaBree. At this FDA-registered facility, specialty probes are manufactured for sophisticated medical equipment, such as robotic and other surgical systems. Other devices, intended to help physicians and other clinicians diagnose and treat patients, are designed and manufactured as well. All facilities employ an ISO 13485:2016 certified quality management system.
“Restoring both the functional performance and the physical condition of all devices we service is needed to meet the requirements of our OEM customers and to meet the rigorous quality standards set by leadership at Innovatus Imaging,” Johnson says.
Johnson, formerly CEO of Joerns Healthcare, Vice President of Healthcare for Resilience Capital, and a greenbelt in Six Sigma, brings a deep understanding of operational excellence to assure efficiency, performance and quality at all levels of the organization. His focus on research, testing and continual development of improving the company’s best practices already guiding the industry have helped strengthen Innovatus’ position as the leader for excellence in probe and coil repair, and for delivering value that impacts budgets and equipment ROI for customers of all sizes. Additionally, Johnson has streamlined the company’s operations to assure financial viability and stability. At a time when many providers are struggling to meet profitability goals, Innovatus Imaging has grown exponentially in recent months.
“Medical device service is a life-saving business and practices need to be built upon the values of patient safety, performance standards, operational efficiencies and ROI for health care facilities, in that order,” says Johnson. “It is imperative to our mission that we continue to be the leading provider in all of these areas. This is what drives what we do every day and at every level, from repairs, research and development to customer service.”
Unmatched Value for Health Care Facilities
To comply with current regulatory standards and those imposed by Innovatus’ engineers and executive team, the company takes a holistic approach to product repair, which helps ensure a lower total cost of ownership over the entire product life cycle. Innovatus applies their manufacturing mindset to the repair model. Integrated into each repair are foundations in research, material science, engineering and technological innovation. The high success rate for repairs allows Innovatus Imaging to offer the industry’s longest warranty periods.
“Based on our unique approach to repair and the methods of applying our 13485:2016 certified quality management system, we had the data to support a 12-month warranty period on all standard probes. We are very happy to be able to offer it to our customers,” says Johnson.
Whether developing new technology as part of device manufacturing or engineering repair solutions on the latest probe and coil models, Innovatus Imaging continually invests in and focuses on R&D. They offer some of the widest and deepest breadths of repair capabilities across their service offerings. Currently, over 100 probe models are considered fully repairable and the company boasts a 99.9% repair rate across all MRI coil models. Very significant repair capabilities exist on today’s most advanced probe models, such as those employing single-crystal design or matrix array technology (Philips X7-2t, X8-2t, X5-1 and GE 6VT-D). Repair solutions are available on over 700 models of MRI coils and over 400 models of ultrasound probes.
At Innovatus, the mission is to be the innovative leader in providing superior service solutions for customers across a wide range of medical devices. They are committed to delivering best-in-class, compliant solutions while reducing customer downtime and operating costs.
