Cardiac PET/CT for Independent Cardiology Practices
Cardiac PET/CT for independent cardiology practices usually means buying a scanner, building a shielded room and hiring people to run it. VIP Imaging parks a staffed mobile PET/CT unit at your office instead, on the days you pick. Your patients stay with your practice, and your physicians read the studies (or ours do, if you'd rather).
Keep the patients you already diagnose
When you send a patient out for a PET/CT, the study leaves with them, and the follow-up often goes too. Running PET/CT at your own office keeps that patient in your chart from the stress test to the treatment plan.
- No hand-off to a hospital imaging department
- Your front desk books it like any other visit
- Your physicians read the studies and bill the professional component
No scanner to buy and no one new to hire
Owning a PET/CT means capital, a build-out, a radioactive materials license and technologists you'd have to recruit. VIP brings the unit and certified technologists and handles the setup. Your office provides a level pad and a dedicated power connection.
Start with one PET/CT day a month
You can start with a single day each month for the patients who need PET/CT most, then add days as referrals grow. We'll show you the schedule and the numbers before you commit to anything.
See what your practice could earn
Keep SPECT on the same schedule
VIP runs mobile SPECT too. Send larger patients and pharmacologic stress studies to PET/CT, and keep SPECT for routine follow-ups. One provider covers both, and we've run our own units since 2008.
Where VIP runs today
One provider for PET/CT and SPECT, with bases in Anaheim, California and McGregor, Texas.
Southern California
Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, San Diego, Imperial Valley, Ventura County
Texas
Waco and Central Texas, Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston
Questions from practice owners
What does it cost to start?
Nothing upfront. There's no scanner to buy and no suite to build. Your price depends on how many days a month you book, and we lay it out when you ask for a schedule and estimate.
Do we need to hire anyone?
No. VIP's certified technologists run the unit. Your staff checks patients in the way they do now.
What does the site need?
A level pad and a dedicated power connection. We walk the site with your property manager before the first day.
Which tracer do you use?
Rubidium-82 (Rb-82), the standard tracer for cardiac PET/CT myocardial perfusion. Its short half-life keeps the patient's radiation dose low and the visit under an hour.
How fast can we start?
Often the same week you sign. We confirm the pad and power, set the day, and your front desk fills it.
Who reads the studies?
Your choice. Most practices have their own cardiologists read and bill the professional component. If you'd rather not, our reading physicians interpret the studies and send the reports to you.
Is this a PET/CT rental or a service?
A staffed service. VIP brings the mobile PET/CT unit, the technologists and the scheduling support on the days you book. There is no equipment lease, no build-out and nothing for you to staff.
Add cardiac PET/CT to your practice
Tell us your patient volume and payer mix. We'll send a schedule and a revenue estimate.
