How to offer 1.5T veterinary MRI… without the headache

Adding 1.5T MRI to your veterinary practice elevates your options for care, but might seem daunting. The prospect of significant building works, securing funding, and how to staff and run the service should not be underestimated. But, at Hallmarq, we’ve developed unique products and commercial models to address the cost and complexity of installing MRIs into veterinary hospitals. We’ve been doing it for over two decades and have completed over 140 successful MRI installations worldwide.

We offer a veterinary-specific solution designed to address the cost, complexity, and commitment of providing small animal MRI

Keeping costs contained

Significant upfront investment is a major concern for most veterinary hospitals. Hallmarq has addressed these worries with their innovative rental solution: Imaging-as-a-Service (IaaS). With IaaS, you don’t have to worry about securing a bank loan to purchase the equipment; a single monthly payment covers everything.

Most 1.5 MRI systems contain helium, an expensive, scarce resource which – under certain conditions – can escape (or quench) from the MRI system. The result is significant unplanned costs for the veterinary hospital, which could be as much as $50,000. Our revolutionary MRI systems are helium-free, so you don’t have to worry about large unwelcome helium costs.

We know that initial building and site preparation costs are another big concern. However, Hallmarq small animal MRI machines are designed specifically for veterinary hospitals. We’ve removed the requirement for installing an RF shield in the walls of the MRI suite, typically saving around $75,000 on site preparation costs. And, because our system contains no helium, you don’t have the extra costs and permit issues associated with installing a helium quench pipe.

Dr Adam Moeser, new business owner and founder of the recently opened Wisconsin Vet Neurology practice, recognised the value of Hallmarq as a business partner when carrying out his due diligence stating:

“I am a new entrepreneur, and the start-up costs for a veterinary neurologist were proving to be a major obstacle. Hallmarq’s leasing program allowed me the financial flexibility that I needed to get my company off the ground and invest in other areas of my business.”

Dr Adam Moeser, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) Wisconsin Vet Neurology and Surgical Center

1.5T veterinary MRI needn’t be complex:

Of course, costs are not the only consideration when researching veterinary MRI. We appreciate that installation can be a complex process. That’s why the challenges of installing, running, servicing, and supporting an MRI machine have been carefully addressed by our team:

• Decrease building works: a built-in RF shield eliminates the need for an expensive room build-out
• Avoid zoning issues: if space is at a premium, we offer the small animal 1.5T MRI in a relocatable system that can be sited in your parking lot
• No quench pipe which can be complex and expensive to install
• No oxygen monitor

Image quality is king

Your priority is your patients. Ours is to help you deliver superb image quality to help reach a diagnosis quickly. Knowing you can deliver an informed diagnosis, and recommend a treatment plan to aid speedy recovery, is both essential and rewarding. Here’s how the Hallmarq solution helps:

• Specifically designed for veterinary use with veterinary-specific software and coils that support optimal image acquisition for animal anatomy ​
• 99.75% uptime guarantee ensures that your MRI machine is always available, reducing wasted time and potentially decreasing running costs
• Proactive remote monitoring allows for the detection and resolution of problems before they affect you
• Superior image quality and the clarity you’d expect from a clinical image, aid diagnoses, and provide the best possible outcomes for your patient.
• A user-friendly interface allows vet techs and nurses to operate the system, increasing staff satisfaction and decreasing staff expenses
• See hard-to-reach anatomy with our V-shaped patient bed, veterinary-specific coils, and protocols. Anatomy that’s notoriously hard to reach, like the brachial plexus, can be imaged with ease
• Phased array means you can operate two coils simultaneously

Figure 1 – T1W pre and post-contrast transverse images through the caudal cervical column and the brachial plexus. There is a relatively well-defined fusiform contrast-enhancing lesion centered on the right-sided brachial plexus compatible with a nerve sheath tumour.

Performing complex neurological examinations on patients referred for emergency and critical care at Tucson Veterinary Specialists is all in a day’s work for DVM, Dr Cody Alcott who states:

“I regularly review brain MRIs from other referral hospitals for second opinions. I’m very impressed with the quality of our Hallmarq MRI images relative to traditional used high-field MRIs. The clarity of our images strengthens our confidence in central nervous system disease diagnosis.”

Dr Cody Alcott, DACVIM, Tuscon Veterinary Specialists, Tucson, AZ

The benefits of 1.5T veterinary MRI:

So, you’re sold on the solution but what about the benefits to your practice? We understand that enhanced patient care, clinically diagnostic outcomes, and happy customers are paramount. With MIRA, Hallmarq’s small animal 1.5T MRI solution, there’s a myriad of benefits for your practice:

Minimise upfront capital expenditure: Hallmarq’s flexible business options have been carefully thought out to be cost-effective. With lower startup costs and our unique Imaging-as-a-Service (IaaS) subscription model, you can minimise upfront capital expenditure and stabilise operational costs with capped monthly payments.

Reduce operational costs: with our zero-helium cooling system. Unlike traditional high-field MRI machines, the Hallmarq 1.5T MRI does not rely on liquid helium to cool the magnet. ​It’s 100% helium-free! Eliminate the need to purchase a diminishing resource at an ever-increasing price, reduce operational costs, and ensure uninterrupted system availability.

Free up valuable space: with flexible install options, Hallmarq’s small animal 1.5T MRI can be installed in-clinic if your existing space allows. Additionally, we offer a relocatable system that can be sited externally to the practice and easily moved if required. ​

Get superior image quality: with animal anatomy catered for, Hallmarq’s small animal 1.5T MRI delivers superb quality and the clarity you’d expect from a clinical image. With superb image quality comes the ability to make a confident diagnosis, helping you provide the best possible patient outcomes.

A 99.75% uptime guarantee: ensures that your MRI machine is always available, reducing wasted time and potentially decreasing running costs. This is particularly beneficial to those practices offering emergency surgery where time is of the essence, and reliability an absolute essential.

Shorter MRI protocols: enable scanning of virtually all patients as conveniently and easily as radiography. Increasing the frequency of use and the volume of scans per week expedites the time to recover the cost of investment.

Access Remote Operation Services (ROS): with remote access to this service, our licensed MRI technologists are available to operate your Hallmarq 1.5T MRI. You can extend the capabilities of your team without the time and cost of recruiting and retaining specialist staff.​

For busy neurologist Dr. Baye Williamson, having access to MRI technologists was key to the decision-making when considering small animal MRI for their Hawaii-based practice, Veterinary Emergency + Referral Center. ROS means that her team is supported whenever needed as she explains:

“Hallmarq’s Remote Operations Service is invaluable to our MRI operations in Hawaii. ROS removes the headache of always having our own trained technicians available to scan. Their MRI Technologists understand how to maximize image quality and minimize scan times which is a huge benefit to our busy practice. Knowing that they’re on hand whenever we need them is a huge benefit of having ROS in place.”

Dr. Baye Williamson DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) Veterinary Emergency + Referral Center (VERC), Hawaii

So why the Hallmarq 1.5T small animal MRI solution?

Overall, the Hallmarq 1.5T MRI solution provides a specialised, high-quality imaging solution that is cost-effective, flexible, and user-friendly. ​ Designed to address the cost and complexities of offering an advanced imaging service at your practice, and with a commitment to image quality, it enhances your ability to diagnose and treat neurological conditions in animals confidently and efficiently.

“Hallmarq’s support has been amazing; our nurses are happy; our doctors are happy!”

Claudia Pullen, Owner VCSG, Chattanooga

Taking into account all the costs, your practice can typically break even at around 8 scans per month proving that MRI – when in the right hands – is profitable. Happy patients result in happy customers who both return and refer, thus enhancing reputation and helping drive exponential growth for your practice.

• *May 2024 – currently only available in the USA