Hospitals are expressing more interest in high-end portable ultrasounds as the devices become more widely used by a growing number of specialties.
As manufacturers have added more advanced features to portable scanners, they've become more popular in the OR, trauma and specialty settings. There's been a growing adoption of ultrasound across fields of medicine, and the portable scanners have put them in the hands of more providers.
Portable ultrasounds are defined by ECRI as a unit that is not permanently mounted to a cart. That can include everything from a small pocket-sized scanner to a full-featured large machine that can be carried and moved. A portable ultrasound isn't necessarily inferior to a traditional unit, but cart-based units may have more advanced features, such as 3-D and 4-D ultrasound, or the ability to fuse images from other modalities, such as MRIs.
Between November and January, a portable ultrasound unit cost an average of $40,541, according to the Modern Healthcare/ECRI Institute Technology Price Index (TPI). The TPI provides monthly and annual data on pricing for 30 supply and capital items that hospitals and other provider organizations purchase, based on three-month rolling averages.
Due to changes in ECRI's methodology since last year, the firm cannot make year-over-year price comparisons. ECRI's rolling averages now reflect the total configured cost of the item, including all options and accessories, rather than the base price that was previously presented.
New models now support transesophageal transducers, which can be passed through the esophagus to capture images of the heart from inside the body. These specialized devices—which would replace the traditional ultrasound “wand” that would normally be waved over the chest or abdomen to view the heart—can drive up the price of a portable ultrasound from $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the vendor, according to the ECRI Institute.
Systems range from $20,000 to $150,000, with the most expensive models often being used for cardiac care and transesophageal echocardiograms. Fujifilm, General Electric Co., Mindray Medical International, Royal Philips and Siemens are the top five ultrasound manufacturers.
Anesthesiologists, emergency physicians, pain medicine physicians and rheumatologists increasingly have been drawn to the use of portable scanners, said Daniel Merton, senior project officer in ECRI's Health Device Group. Using the device at the bedside allows specialists to gain a more targeted, immediate diagnostic exam than the more comprehensive, broad procedure that would be performed by radiology professionals.
The devices are also being written into hospital policy. It's now standard at most facilities to use a portable ultrasound when placing a central line, Merton said.
“There are so many users beginning to (better) understand the use of ultrasound,” Merton said. “They're easier to use, less expensive to purchase for the point-of-care and they're allowing providers to treat patients better.”