Bracco announces new partnership with nuclear medicine specialist to expand cardiac PET access
Medical imaging company Bracco Diagnostics is partnering with nuclear medicine specialist CardioNavix to expand patient access to cardiac PET scanning, the pair announced Monday.
Under the new Bracco Mobile Isotope Service, providers can order CardioGen-82 (Rubidium Rb-82 Generator) and its infusion system as needed, only paying for the days they need to image patients. Typically, Bracco offered such services at a per-generator fixed cost, which isn’t ideal for lower-volume centers.
"Establishing a cardiac PET imaging program requires significant upfront and ongoing costs that a provider must be able to recover,” Kim McDaniel, senior director, Nuclear Medicine Sales and Market Support at Bracco, said in a statement. “This new program will help lower the upfront cost and business risk, to allow more healthcare providers to offer this important diagnostic test.”
Cardiac PET is a top choice for non-invasive cardiac perfusion imaging and meets low-cost, high satisfaction goals set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to Lon Wilson, president and radiation safety officer at Wexford, Pennsylvania-based CardioNavix.
The organizations expect newer sites, community hospitals, physician practices and outpatient imaging centers to take advantage of the new on-demand system.
“We are thrilled to partner with Bracco Diagnostics to deliver cardiac PET to imaging labs nationwide,” Wilson added Monday. “Expanding access to cardiac PET imaging by lowering the financial barriers to entry is a win-win for healthcare providers and their patients.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.