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Biotech / Medical : Advanced Mammography (MAMO). What's the potential ?
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To: tony pham who wrote (6)10/13/1996 10:14:00 PM
From: Shannon Squyres   of 24
 
Tony, I found your conclusions about MRI breast scanning (and MAMO) interesting. I checked with the company and it turns out you're right about the initial cost, maintenance expense and space requirement issues. However, those are the vary issues that MAMO has addressed with the introduction of their " Aurora" system.
1) The cost, while not cheap at around $450,000, is small relative to the $2 million price tag on a full body scanner.
2) Maintenance on these systems is no more than a typical MRI -- (A maintenace contract is part of the deal when you buy one. Maintenance, upgrades, and add-ons are all profit centers to MAMO).
3) The Aurora takes up a fraction of the space of a full-body MRI. It's coils are located in a more centralized space so the need for huge steel-clad rooms is minimized. The technician generally stays in the room with the patient and enters data as the scan is done.

P.S. They've already obtained reimbursement certification from some of the nations largest and most well known insurance companies and HMOs. Watch for a news announcement regarding which ones.

So, why would hospitals and breast clinics utilize this technology when its costs so much more than x-ray mammograpy?
1) Because of its superior ability to detect tumors and cancer in women under the 40-50 year age range -- when x-ray mammography becomes useful. Breast tissue is too dense prior to that age.
2) Failure to detect breast cancer early enough is the single greatest cause of death due to breast cancer. Also, misdiagnosis of breast cancer (failure to detect it) is one of the leading claims in malpractice suits in the US. In other words, LIABILITY. Doctors, hospitals and clinics won't be able to afford NOT to use the most effective and accurate method of early detection of breast cancer and tissue abnormalities.

Check out the statistics on breast cancer -- they are stagering!
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