RadNet acquires remote MRI scanning solutions provider Alpha RT
Outpatient imaging center operator RadNet Inc. on Wednesday announced it has acquired the assets of remote MRI solutions provider Alpha RT.
The company offers a suite of services to help radiology providers deliver remote magnetic resonance imaging—where a technologist controls the scanner from a different location. Alpha RT’s services include AI-powered safety monitoring in case something goes wrong in the MRI suite, staffing, training and certification.
RadNet said the move allows its DeepHealth subsidiary to offer the full gamut of remote-scan options, which include its TechLive platform. Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August, the product allows technologists to remotely perform or supervise MR, CT, PET and ultrasound scans simultaneously across multiple locations from a single command center.
“Rising patient demand for radiology services, coupled with a shortage of imaging technologists, is creating a significant challenge for imaging providers,” RadNet President and CEO Howard Berger, MD, said in a statement Nov. 5. “Through this acquisition, we are now able to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of remote-scanning solutions for both external DeepHealth customers and for the RadNet network of imaging centers—empowering each to keep pace with growing industry procedural volumes while maintaining the highest standard of patient care.”
The two sides did not disclose terms of the deal on Wednesday. Pete Jablonka—a registered technologist and former MRI specialist with RadNet—co-founded Alpha RT amid technologist shortages in 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. The company provides real-time alerts for potentially unsafe materials or circumstances surrounding the MRI suite. It also offers vendor-agnostic staffing, delivering on-demand access to highly skilled remote MRI techs. In addition, Alpha RT’s specialized education and training support includes the MRI Tech Aide Certification program, helping imaging groups strengthen workforce development and improve care quality. And finally, the company offers “intelligent resource optimization,” with scheduling and dispatching capabilities that match providers with the “right technologist” from a central resource pool to meet specific imaging needs.
This continues RadNet and its DeepHealth subsidiary’s recent string of acquisitions that also have included ultrasound artificial intelligence vendor See-Mode Technologies ($29 million), along with two breast AI companies: iCAD ($103 million) and Kheiron Medical Technologies ($1 million). RadNet bills itself as a leading provider of freestanding, fixed-site diagnostic imaging services, operating a network of 405 centers across eight states. The publicly traded company plans to announce its third quarter earnings results on Nov. 10.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.