In early November, I start hearing drum rolls. Why? That’s when the final results arrive for our annual Medical Imaging 20: Readers’ Choice Awards.

This year, the big congratulations goes out to Berlex Laboratories, who edged up to first from its fourth place finish last year. Berlex won an impressive six total categories of this year’s survey. Running a close second is computer-aided detection technology leader R2 Technology, which also won the “Ability to capitalize on new and niche markets” category. No. 3 Medrad, which moved up two places from No. 5 last year, also won two categories this year, “Ease of integration within facility” and “Business management of P&L, acquisitions, mergers & divestitures.” GE Medical Systems placed fourth overall and won two categories, “Product/technology positioning for the future” and “Upgradeability of technology.”

This year we added two new categories to the survey — “Product Training” and “Ease of integration within facility” — based on their key role in equipment buying decisions. Product training defines the quality of training received from a vendor when a device is installed, while Integration involves the ability to smoothly integrate and network a new device with existing devices in the department and throughout the hospital and healthcare enterprise.

Continuing down this elite list in order of Overall Rating are: Bracco, Philips Medical Systems, Varian Medical Systems, Amersham Healthcare, Eastman Kodak, SonoSite, Siemens Medical Solutions, IDX Systems, Vital Images, Cook Radiology, Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, Meditech, Instrumentarium Imaging, Hitachi Medical Systems America, Agfa HealthCare and Hologic.

For a closer look at who participated in this year’s rankings, turn to page 38, and if you are interested in how we conducted the survey, please turn to page 37 for details. On page 41, check out equipment buying patterns this year and next.

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As it is the season of sharing and giving thanks, we often want to do something for others who don’t have much, if anything. For Mother’s Day this year, my Dad donated a female goat in my name to a family in Haiti. (Here’s her picture, with the man who trains the family in how to care for her.) The goat provides milk for the family to drink, sell and make cheese from. Her manure fertilizes crops. And with income from selling the goat’s offspring and cheese, the family can buy things like electricity, a new roof or needed food. (Interested? Check out haitianhealthfoundation.org or heifer.org.)

We don’t have to go far to offer help though. Pick up the phone and call a local school, church or hospital to ask how you can help someone this holiday season. Stop by the mall and pick a tag off the giving tree. Volunteer to be a court advocate for a child or a Big Brother. A lot of people need help, not just at the holidays. But it is a great time to start. Do something, every little bit counts.

Happy holidays and a joyful 2003!

Mary C. Tierney, Editor
mtierney@mwc.com