In May, Alpha Source made arrangements to become the authorized service provider for GE Healthcare's bone mineral densitometry (BMD) equipment in the U.S. — meaning the manufacturer will be delegating all servicing needs to the Milwaukee-based care technology management company.

GE will continue to develop and manufacture BMD solutions and also service systems for customers outside of the U.S. Meanwhile, overseeing BMD equipment in the U.S. will complement the service Alpha Source has been providing on select GE ultrasound products since 2014.

"Alpha Source provides a trusted service solution for GE Healthcare's BMD and selected ultrasound products," Rick Lytle, CEO of Alpha Source, told HCB News. "The national network of trained field service engineers will be supplemented with depot repair operations in Milwaukee to support this growing multi-modal installed base of imaging equipment."

Lytle counts the company's core objectives as helping health care organizations by offering solutions that extend the life of medical equipment, reduce equipment costs of ownership and support improved patient care — but some customers are concerned that the new arrangement will have a negative financial impact on them.

"When a small staff with a limited amount of training services customers' equipment, it will lead to increased costs," a field service engineer who asked to remain anonymous, told HCB News.

For example, instead of having a field engineer properly diagnose the system to determine if it has a bad X-ray tube, instances may arise where the field engineers replace both the HVPS and the X-ray tube because they lack experience, the engineer hypothesized.

Whether or not such concerns are valid, Alpha Source and GE alike have firmly stated that the new arrangement should be seen as good news for their customers.

Todd Singleton, director of strategic initiative services, U.S. and Canada service at GE, stated in a letter to customers that contracts and service coverage — including price, entitlements, and end date — will not be changed. He also praised Alpha Source for providing "innovative solutions for quality parts procurement and service management for 28 years."

Despite ongoing reimbursement cuts since 2007, the global bone densitometer market is thriving. A Transparency Market Research report found that the market is expected to jump from $778 million in 2012 to $909 million by 2019, mostly due to the growing geriatric population.

Other factors fueling the market are the increased risk of osteoporosis among menopausal women, the high occurrence of vitamin D deficiency diseases, and advanced technology that is expected to contribute to the growth of the market in the next few years.

The full transaction of GE's BMD service to Alpha Source is expected to be finalized before the end of the year.

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