Office Staff: Sonia Andreola

Hello, my name is Sonia Andreola and I am the Diagnostix Plus, Inc. Commerce Manager for Latin America and Spain.  Additional duties which I am responsible for include; Social Media Marketing /Public Relations Specialist. When I was offered the opportunity to work at Diagnostix Plus, a company dedicated to  preserving older nuclear medicine systems I thought it would be something very difficult since the closest words on my technical dictionary were "scan" or "tomography", as tests that doctors prescribed for a family member or acquaintance. However, I accepted it because I like challenges and as a social Communicator and talent  I've previously worked on news to inform the community. I have a great amount of experience selling advertising, and providing customer services.  I have always enjoyed meeting the needs of customers. Helping with my technical knowledge and training, my boss, Don Bogutski offered patient and detailed teachings in the field of nuclear medicine. Today I can say that I have learned and I'm still learning about different SPECT and PET cameras, applications and services but above all, I appreciate the different needs of customers and provide them the best service.

Much of my work at the company is dedicated to my clients in South America and Spain. With each client close personal communication works best for understanding their individual situations and problems. Every sale requires many pages of emails and phone calls with questions, explanations, photos, alternatives, solutions and the pleasing reward of a job well done. Our belief is that each relationship is like a book and every sale a chapter.  Our goal is that each chapter correctly managed opens the opportunity to the next!

Español:

Hola, mi nombre es Sonia Andreola y soy Gerente de comercio con América Latina y España (Social Media Marketing / Especialista de relaciones públicas).

Cuando me ofrecieron la oportunidad de trabajar en Diagnostix Plus, una compañía dedicada a la venta de sistemas de medicina nuclear usados yo pensé que era algo muy difícil, lo mas cercano en mi diccionario técnico eran “scan”, o “tomografía computada” exámenes que doctores prescribieron a algún familiar o conocido. Sin embargo, acepte la propuesta porque me gustan los retos y siendo una comunicadora social y locutora no solo me he dedicado a trabajar en noticias e informar a la comunidad, también he dedicado mi tiempo a vender publicidad y atender gustosamente los requerimientos de los clientes ayudándolos a conseguir los mejores resultados. A toda mi experiencia se sumo la acertada y paciente enseñanza sobre el campo de la medicina nuclear, provista por mi jefe Don Bogutski. Hoy puedo decir que he aprendido y sigo aprendiendo sobre las diferentes cámaras, sobre sus diferentes aplicaciones y por sobre todo, puedo acercame a las diferentes necesidades de los clientes y brindarles el mejor servicio.

Gran parte de mi tiempo en la compañía lo dedico a mis clientes de Sudamérica y España con quienes los códigos de comunicación son particularmente estrechos. Cada venta es un amplio capitulo de emails y llamadas telefónicas con preguntas, explicaciones, fotos, alternativas, soluciones y la grata recompensa del trabajo bien hecho. Nuestra meta es que cada capitulo bien logrado abra la oportunidad al siguiente…

Office Staff: Jasmin Elsamra

Working for Diagnostix Plus for almost a year and a half, while achieving a bachelors in math, I have come to a great appreciation for and understanding of nuclear imaging. Nuclear imaging is an effective way to gather information on a patient's condition to diagnose and make adjustments to treatments. Gama cameras are effective in the sense that the images taken require very little exposure to radiation yet, they portray accurate depictions of the patient's organs on a biological scale. These images are then studied by physicians to correctly diagnose the individual. Nuclear imaging cameras have the ability to diagnose patients with the leading causes for death, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, gastrointestinal problems, and neurological disorders. The Nuclear Medical field is constantly advancing with innovations in today's technology to give patients the most accurate and quick diagnoses possible.

In 1987 Diagnostix Plus, Inc. entered veterinary nuclear medicine. We took an older PLANAR (non-SPECT), nuclear camera, removed the detector and yoke from the stand and hung this by a chain hoist from an overhead "I" beam to create an equine scintigraphy system. Veterinarians told us that they needed to image from the bottom of a horses neck all the way down to the bottom of the horses foot. This required that we dig a pit in the floor large enough to allow the detector to descend six inches below the grade which the horse was standing on. We had created our first equine scintigraphy system. Veterinarians were a great group of customers to work with. During twenty years of involvement in "equine scintigraphy we were fortunate to develop a veterianrian specific nuclear medicine computer and install more then 130 systems world wide. We went to interesting places including The University of Glasgow, Scotland, The Rome Italy Equine Hospital, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Palm Beach Polo Club and many well known University based, veterinary school imaging departments.

Business Model

The pace of business was picking up and reached a lofty plateau during the middle eighties. An increasing application of DRG (Diagnostic Related Group determination) based insurance payments pushed diagnostic imaging out of the hospitals and into entrepreneurial, free standing, imaging centers. Buying used equipment, saving with ISO service and pre-owned, tested and warrantied parts was becoming an acceptable business model.

DRGs was the catalyst which would create the multi-billion dollar preowned medical equipment industry. DRG launched many of the hundreds of brokers, independent servicers, equipment a, parts purveyors and logistic specialists. Although we didn't consider it at the time, we were in the process of making the USA the supermarket of used high tech medical equipment for the world. In the final year of the 1980s the Stark Ammendment was approved. Diagnostix Plus. Was selling used SPECT at a brisk pace in 1989.

El ritmo de los negocios fue incrementando y alcanzó una posicion elevada a mediados de los ochenta. La creciente aplicación de DRG (Diagnostic Related Group determination) es  una consecuencia de la iniciativa de las compañías aseguradoras de alentar el diagnostico de imagen fuera del ámbito exclusivo de los hospitales y extendiéndolo a centros de imágenes privados. La compra de equipos usados, servicios ISO y piezas usadas, probadas y garantizadas se estaba convirtiendo en un aceptable modelo de negocios

DRG fue el catalizador que crearía la multimillonaria industria del equipamiento médico semiusado. DRG lanzó muchos de los cientos de prestadores, administradores independientes, equipos, proveedores de partes y especialistas en logísticas. Aunque no lo consideramos en ese momento, estábamos en proceso de hacer de los Estados Unidos el supermercado de sistemas de alta tecnología médica para el mundo. En el último año de la década de 1980 fue aprobada la enmienda de Stark. Diagnostix Plus vendía SPECT usado a buen ritmo.

Evolving the Company: 1980s

Our first cell phone, office computer and fax machine arrived during our second nuclear medicine decade in the 1980s. We were going digital. Our office moved from a small bedroom in my home and into a luxurious two room suite complete with a secretary.

1986 brought the first sales outside of the USA. A used gamma camera was sold to to Argentina. This signaled our aspiration to sell internationally. In 1987 we attended our first European nuclear medicine meeting in Budapest, Hungary. We were learning just how unique American style, medical capitalism is in a world of medical socialism.

Nuestro primer teléfono celular, computadora y fax de la oficina llegaron durante nuestra segunda década en medicina nuclear en 1980. Comenzabamos a explorar lo digital, mientras tanto nuestra oficina se trasladó de un pequeño dormitorio en mi casa y en una importante suite de dos habitaciones y una secretaria.

1986 trajo las primeras ventas fuera de los Estados Unidos. Una cámara gamma usada fue vendida a Argentina. Esto marcó nuestra aspiración a vender internacionalmente. En 1987, asistimos a nuestra primera reunión europea de medicina nuclear en Budapest, Hungría. Nosotros estábamos aprendiendo que nuestro estilo americano de capitalismo médico estaba en un mundo del socialismo médico.

The very begining of Diagnostix Plus

2012 is the thirtieth anniversary year for Diagnostix Plus, Inc.  Our passion for nuclear medicine goes back even further.  It began five decade ago. During our long journey from fledgling participant in our company's diagnostic specialty to well established resource for nuclear medicine technology and business consulting, so much has changed. It has been equivalent to an intensive post graduate education. Begining with this first Diagnostix Plus blog we will share our history in nuclear medicine and offer the best lessons which we have learned. Our intention is to keep it interesting and hope that many readers will join in sharing valuable information from their own experiences.

During our first decade our customers were exclusively hospital based, nuclear medicine and or radiology departments. Marketing and sales leads came from thousands of phone calls, hundreds of client visits, dozens of print advertisements which were placed in just a few specialty trade journals. Each year we attended a single national meeting and three local nuclear medicine events.  Nuclear medicine was an analog business experience conducted at a leisurely pace.  Should you recall an interesting nuclear medicine incident, or anecdote, please share it with us share from personal experiences during the 1970s. . 

In life change is constant and big changes were just around the corner for Diagnostix Plus. With our next entry we will recall the go go eighties. A decade of incredible change and growth.

2012 es el trigésimo aniversario de Diagnostix Plus, Inc. Sin embargo nuestra pasión por la medicina nuclear comenzó hace cinco décadas. Durante ese tiempo el cambio de nuestra compañía ha sido considerable, desde una incipiente participación en la especialidad de  medicina nuclear y consultoría hasta lo que seria equivalente a una educación de postgrado intensiva en el desarrollo de nuestra actividad. Comenzando con este primer blog desde  Diagnostix Plus compartiremos nuestra historia en medicina nuclear y ofreceremos las mejores lecciones que hemos aprendido. Nuestra intención es mantenerlo interesado y espero que muchos lectores se unan para compartir información valiosa de sus propias experiencias.

Durante nuestro primer decenio nuestros clientes fueron exclusivamente hospitales dedicados a la medicina nuclear y/o departamentos de radiología. Otros clientes y ventas provenían de miles de llamadas telefónicas, visitas de clientes, decenas de anuncios que se colocaron en unas revistas de especialidad. Cada año asistimos a una reunión nacional y tres eventos locales de medicina nuclear. La medicina nuclear era una experiencia de negocio analógico llevado a cabo a un ritmo relajado. Si usted recuerda un incidente interesante de medicina nuclear, o anécdota, por favor compártalo con nosotros. (Compartir experiencias personales durante la década de 1970).

La vida es cambio constante y grandes cambios esperaban a la vuelta de la esquina de Diagnostix Plus. Con nuestra siguiente entrada recordaremos el go go ochenta. Una década de crecimiento y cambio increíble.