Field Upgrades for 1.5-T MRI Systems Saves Up to Half on Replacement Costs

One of the largest global providers of medical technologies and services is offering a field upgrade program to rapidly, and economically upgrade existing customers’ 1.5-T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners.

The upgrade offers customers potential savings of up to 50% in construction and equipment costs compared to a new 1.5-T system, and includes a the latest new MRI magnet. The new system could also increase efficiency and productivity enabling customers to scan 2–3 more patients every day.


The program to upgrade existing GE Healthcare 1.5-T LCC MRI systems to the new SIGNA Explorer Lift is being offered by GE Healthcare (Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK), in most global regions. The upgrade offers increased patient comfort, diagnostic quality, and workflow efficiency, and potential savings of up to 30% percent from increased throughput and referrals. The upgrade program will be rolled out to the GE Healthcare MRI installed base in the coming months, in the US, and other countries where the SIGNA Explorer is for sale. The first site to upgrade to the SIGNA Explorer Lift is The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center (OSMC; Annapolis, MD, USA).

This SIGNA Explorer Lift system uses 34 percent less power, and has a smaller installation footprint than previous generation MRI systems, and requires a smaller footprint for installation. The new system uses GE Healthcare’s revolutionary quiet technology and the MAVRIC SL acquisition and reconstruction technique for patients with MRI-conditional metal implants.

Eric Stahre, president and CEO of GE Healthcare MRI, said, “In a time when healthcare systems are being challenged by reduced reimbursements and longer patient wait times, this upgrade program will enable them to add new clinical capabilities and access the increased efficiency of SIGNA Explorer while leveraging their current MRI investment. By extending their MRI capacity and service lines, clinicians may receive more referrals and therefore potentially generate more revenue. This program reinforces our commitment to the GE Continuum by providing clinicians with solutions to avoid obsolescence and remain up-to-date on the latest clinical offerings.”

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