CT Scanner Buyer's FAQ

A new CT scanner ranges from $250,000 to over $1,200,000 depending on slice counts and specifications. Certified pre-owned or refurbished CT scanners from Intel Imaging generally range from $60,000 to $220,000, offering cost savings of up to 50-70% with identical diagnostic quality and standard warranty terms.

The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for a CT scanner includes the purchase price, site preparation, power consumption, X-ray tube replacements, and service contracts. X-ray tubes are consumable parts and typically need replacement every few years depending on scan volume, making tube coverage in your service contract a critical factor.

Intel Imaging provides flexible capital leases, structured rentals, and customized payment plans to align with your facility's cash-flow and clinical requirements. Our financing options help clinics acquire diagnostic equipment with minimal upfront capital expenditure.

Slice count represents the number of 3D anatomical images a scanner captures per rotation. A 16-slice CT scanner is ideal for standard clinical workflows (urgent care, basic imaging, or veterinary). A 64-slice scanner is the clinical workhorse, while 128-slice or higher systems are essential for advanced cardiac, vascular, and trauma imaging due to ultra-fast scan speeds.

Low-dose CT scanners utilize advanced iterative reconstruction software to significantly reduce X-ray radiation exposure (often by 40% to 80%) while maintaining pristine image quality. This is highly important for pediatric imaging, lung cancer screenings, and patient safety.

Essential software includes 3D reconstruction, multiplanar reformatting (MPR), and maximum intensity projection (MIP). Optional packages depend on your clinical specialties, such as CT angiography (CTA), vessel analysis, lung nodule analysis, or virtual colonoscopy.

The installation typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. It includes site preparation, structural rigging, lead shielding installation, system rigging, calibration, radiation safety testing, and comprehensive clinical applications training for your staff.

Yes. CT scanners utilize ionizing X-ray radiation, which requires lead shielding (lead-lined drywall and glass windows) in the scan room walls to meet local radiation safety codes. Additionally, the room must have dedicated HVAC cooling to handle the thermal output of the gantry and X-ray generator.

Beyond the machine, you must budget for lead shielding room installation, electrical upgrades (often requiring 480V three-phase power), heavy-machinery transport rigging, HVAC cooling chiller systems, and architectural design fees, which can range from $25,000 to $70,000.

Intel Imaging provides a comprehensive 1-year warranty on refurbished CT scanners. We offer custom service level agreements (SLAs), including 24/7 technical support, remote diagnostics, preventive maintenance, and crucial X-ray tube coverage to protect against high unexpected replacement costs.

We maintain a deeply stocked global inventory of OEM parts, including X-ray tubes, detectors, and boards. We guarantee to support and provide replacement components for your CT scanner for at least 7 to 10 years post-installation.

Yes, all refurbished CT scanners from Intel Imaging are 100% DICOM compliant. They seamlessly integrate with any hospital PACS, RIS, or electronic health record (EHR) database for automated patient imaging data transfer.

We include 3 to 5 days of intensive, on-site clinical applications training by certified clinical educators for your radiological technologists, ensuring workflow optimization, radiation safety protocols, and high-quality image capture.

Our CT scanners support standard clinical applications (abdominal, chest, orthopedic, head). Upgrades for cardiac gating, virtual colonoscopy, or newer software iterations can be added to support advanced protocols.

Yes, all systems are fully cleared by major regulatory authorities, including the FDA and CE, and undergo rigorous mechanical and structural inspections to strictly meet medical device standards before delivery.

Major brands like GE, Siemens, Canon (Toshiba), and Philips each have distinct advantages. GE is favored for its robust clinical workhorse systems and easy interface, Siemens is renowned for advanced low-dose technology, Canon for its wide-bore systems, and Philips for its advanced cardiac imaging. We help you choose the best brand matching your budget.

Buying from a trusted reseller like Intel Imaging offers significant cost advantages, multi-brand side-by-side comparisons, flexible financing, and local customized service support without the steep premium pricing of direct OEM manufacturers.

Key questions include: Is X-ray tube coverage included in the service warranty? What is the current slice count/wear of the existing tube? Is transport rigging included? What are the specific remote software support uptime guarantees?

CT scanners combine a series of X-ray images taken from different angles to create cross-sectional views. While it uses ionizing radiation, modern systems utilize low-dose software and pediatric protocols to minimize exposure, making them highly safe when clinically indicated.

Yes, CT diagnostic imaging is widely reimbursed under major private medical insurance networks and government Medicare programs, provided the scans are supported by proper clinical indication coding.

Standard CT scanners have a 70cm bore; Wide-bore systems offer a wider 78cm to 80cm opening, ideal for bariatric patients or radiotherapy planning. Ultra-fast scanners (128-slice or higher) capture images in milliseconds, greatly reducing patient breath-hold requirements.