Bairnsdale Regional Health Service and HSV partner to procure new MRI machine

HSV has partnered with Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BHRS) to secure a state-of-the art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.

The MRI is the first procured from a new supplier for a Victorian public health service.

“MRIs are a huge and expensive asset, and maintenance of the machine takes very specific expertise. Most health services only have one, and there is very little tolerance on performance. The category is challenging – it’s a small market with few manufacturers and distributors, and it’s hard for new players to break into the industry. Working with a new supplier meant we were able to negotiate to procure a high-quality machine at a very good price,” says HSV Senior Category Manager, Equipment Grant Thomas.

“We carried out extensive due diligence to mitigate the risk of purchasing from a new supplier,” Grant says.

Due diligence included reaching out to Australian organisations who had used the supplier and the Queensland private hospitals using the MRI to ensure they were happy with the product and service. The team also ensured maintenance requirements could be met and that spare parts were readily available.

BHRS and HSV worked in partnership to secure the new MRI and work with the supplier on pricing.

“HSV, and the Equipment team in particular, were instrumental in helping BRHS work with the supplier to close out the purchase. It was the first time the supplier had dealt with the Victorian public health system and Grant helped them understand the process and provided advice on what they needed to do,” says BRHS Manager, Medical Imaging Steve Blackwell.

The system promised to be the most advanced 1.5T MRI available, using AI for both the acquisition and reconstruction of images – which is cutting-edge in an MRI. 

“I have nothing but praise for the new MRI. Imaging is blisteringly fast and the image quality is unbelievable,” says Steve.

“Installation was quicker than promised and expected. It was scheduled to take a week but was completed with 2 days to spare. Everything went like clockwork,” Steve says.

The MRI’s increased speed also holds benefits for patients.

“We are now able to scan 3 patients in an hour instead of 2, reducing waiting times – which is a great outcome for the community,” Steve says.

“Physically the system is a short bore magnet, which enhances patient comfort. Patients now spend less time in the MRI, which is less onerous for them. One in 10 people are claustrophobic, so minimising the time required in the scanner means better patient compliance and fewer rescans,” Steve says.

“We were prepared to take the risk with a new supplier because we felt that the positives outweighed the negatives, and to date we haven’t found a negative. The assistance provided by HSV throughout BRHS’s due diligence process gave us confidence that we were making the right decision – both clinically and commercially.”

Above image: Romani Morath and Samantha Goodear with the new MRI machine at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service.