You may already have a multitude of machines in your clinic or medical facility. Even so, you may be thinking about adding new MRI equipment to widen the services that your facility offers its clients. However, adding a piece of equipment is a serious matter. You have to make sure that your investment in these medical machines will be a lucrative and profitable decision for your clinic in the long run.
There are many ways to go about doing this. Conducting market research is one effective way to determine if adding a new piece of equipment to your MRI clinic will be a good idea or not. This article will talk about how to determine if purchasing a new MRI scanner will do well for your facility.
Tips on Forecasting Demand for Your MRI Clinic
1. Is There a Market for Your New MRI Machine?
The first step in forecasting the possible demand for your MRI machine is to ask yourself if there is a potential market for these types of services. Keep in mind that the majority of your clients who may need the use of an MRI machine will come from the local community that your MRI clinic serves. It is essential that you conduct market research as to other medical facilities that offer the same kind of service and if there will be enough patients that will need the procedure.
2. Look Into the Potential Referral Base
The next thing you should look into is the referral base for MRI scans. You can talk to local physicians in your area and make deals with them as to referrals to your facility when they would need their patients to have MRI scans. These referrals will make a huge difference when it comes to the number of patients that come in to have the scan done.
3. What Are the Local Market Needs?
It will also pay to consider the local market needs. Looking into how many physicians and medical professionals can provide referrals to your facility along with the demographics of the local residents in your area will give you an idea of the local market needs when it comes to MRI scans.
4. Conduct an Internal Evaluation
You should also conduct an internal evaluation. Analyze if getting this type of machine will truly benefit your clinic. Do you have enough space to accommodate the machine? Check if you have enough funds to afford to pay for it outright or if you need to take out a loan to pay for it. Looking into these internal factors will help you in making the decision of buying the machine or not.
5. Consider an Upgrade
You may already have an existing MRI machine. Maybe you just need an upgrade instead of buying a new one? Consider this factor as well. It can save you time, effort, and money in the long run.
Conclusion
While it is true that adding new equipment will allow a clinic or medical facility to expand the services that they offer, it may not always be a good idea. On some occasions, there may not be a stable market to offer the services to, in these situations, the purchase, and maintenance of another machine – one of the most expensive in this line of business – will not be a good investment for your clinic.
However, if you foresee that acquiring a new MRI machine will benefit your facility in the long run, go ahead and purchase it. If you will ever need a skilled team to maintain it and provide any parts that need replacement, you can always count on DirectMed Parts! We are the most trusted and knowledgeable source for medical imaging parts and services. Specializing in CT and MRI parts and coils, DirectMed Parts understands the importance of working with service professionals to quickly and accurately deliver quality parts to customer sites.Â
