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SEPTEMBER 2026 | VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 09

THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

ADVANCING MAGAZINE

IMAGING PROFESSIONALS

A Different Kind of Contrast An imaging professional’s journey from diagnostics to the canvas PAGE 12 ARTWORK BY: LIZZY RAINEY, FRANCISCAN HEALTH LAFAYETTE

PRODUCT FOCUS - PAGE 28 MOBILE IMAGIN G SOLUTIONS

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FEATURES

RISING STAR

Jade Jackson is an emerging leader who has “done a great job with coordination of the ultrasound department.”

32 COVER STORY

A global expert on imaging Alzheimer’s disease says an influx of clinical research has helped spur diagnostic and therapeutic advances that give her hope.

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ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

Imaging leaders share how their organizations are leveraging mobile imaging trailers along with the operational and infrastructure challenges they face.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

SEPTEMBER 2026

18 IMAGING NEWS

Catch up on the latest news from around the diagnostic imaging world.

PRODUCT FOCUS

Mobile imaging trailers have evolved from temporary stopgap solutions into strategic assets for hospitals, health systems and outpatient providers.

46 THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

A look at how to move from a helicopter manager to a leadership coach.

ICEMAGAZINE

CONTENTS MD Publishing 1155 Senoia Rd, Ste. 200, Tyrone, GA 30290 Phone: 800-906-3373

SPOTLIGHT 8

Rising Star Jade Jackson, ARDMS, lead sonographer

In Focus Alex Pinto, Ed.D., MBA, Management Consultant

Kristin Leavoy kristin@mdpublishing.com

Off the Clock Lizzy Rainey, Franciscan Health Lafayette

Vice President of Business Development

ICE Debut A-Plus Medical Company, Inc.

AHRA Recap Staying Awesome, Leaning Forward & Leading Through Change

President

John M. Krieg john@mdpublishing.com

Vice President

Jayme McKelvey jayme@mdpublishing.com

Director of Client Services Megan Cabot megan@mdpublishing.com

Senior Account Executive Warren Kaufman warren@mdpublishing.com

NEWS

Editor

John Wallace

Editorial Board

Beth Allen David V. Buczkowski Kimberly Love Megan M. Parker Dean Skillicorn Jason Theadore

Art Department Karlee Gower Taylor Hayes Alicia Brown

Events

Kristin Leavoy

Webinars

PRODUCTS

27 28

Cindy Galindo Kennedy Krieg Haley Harris

Accounting

For subscription information visit www. theicecommunity.com. The information and opinions expressed in the articles and advertisements herein are those of the writer and/or advertiser, and not necessarily those of the publisher. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. © 2026

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

Product Focus Mobile Imaging Solutions

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Director’s Circle: Mobile Imaging Solutions

Director’s Cut The Emotional Labor of Medical Imaging: What Imaging Leaders Need to Start Seeing

PACS/IT/AI The Octopus and the Firewall: Why Intelligence is a Spectrum, Not a Ladder

DEI Will My Age Become Louder Than My Ability? Rethinking Ageism, Hiring Bias & Leadership Assumptions

Emotional Intelligence From Helicopter Manager to Leadership Coach

Medicine for the Soul Strong at Every Age: How Women Can Help Combat Muscle Loss

50 52 54

AHRA Scrapbook

Diane Costea

ICE Magazine (Vol. 10, Issue #9) July 2026 is published by MD Publishing, 1155 Senoia Rd, Ste. 200, Tyrone, GA 30290.

Market Report

INSIGHTS

Linda Hasluem

Digital Department

Imaging News A Look at What’s Changing in the Imaging Industry

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SPOTLIGHT

RISING

STAR

JADE JACKSON, ARDMS, LEAD SONOGRAPHER AT ORLANDO HEALTH MELBOURNE HOSPITAL

ade Jackson, ARDMS, is the lead sonographer at Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital. She was nominated to be featured as a Rising Star by Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital Radiology Director Rich Egan. “Jade has done a great job with coordination of the ultrasound department which includes the staff schedules, the IR procedures and making the job fun when it’s hectic,” he wrote in the nomination. ICE Magazine Editor John Wallace recently found out more about this rising star, including her leadership aspirations.

Q: WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? A: I was born in Colorado, but raised in San Antonio, Texas (military brat). Q: WHERE DID YOU RECEIVE YOUR IMAGING TRAINING/EDUCATION? A: I received an associate of science degree in diagnostic medical sonographer from Keiser University and a bachelor of applied science degree in medical imaging sciences.

Jade Jackson, ARDMS, was pregnant with her daughter Serenity when she decided to start a career in imaging.

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Q: HOW DID YOU FIRST DECIDE TO START WORKING IN IMAGING? A: I first decided to start working in imaging when I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter Serenity. Q: WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB? A: The most rewarding aspect of my job is knowing that the images I obtain help physicians diagnose and treat patients and provide excellent patient care.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR POSITION? A: I enjoy the variety each day brings. Every patient and every exam is different, and I love working alongside a team that is dedicated to providing excellent patient care. Q: WHAT INTERESTS YOU THE MOST ABOUT THE IMAGING FIELD? A: I love that imaging combines technology, critical thinking and patient care. Ultrasound imaging is constantly evolving, which gives me opportunities to continue learning and growing within my profession. Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR FIELD THUS FAR? A: One of my greatest accomplishments has been earning my degrees while raising my daughter and while building a successful career. I am very proud to have taken on leadership responsibility and help mentor students and new team members. Q: WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOURSELF IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS? A: In the next five years, I hope to continue growing as a leader in the sonography world, expanding my education with a master’s and obtaining other certifications – all while giving excellent patient care. •

FUN FACTS FAVORITE HOBBY: Traveling, real estate and spending time with my daughter FAVORITE SHOW: “Grey’s Anatomy” FAVORITE FOOD: Seafood FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: Dominican Republic/Jamaica 1 THING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST: Travel to Greece and jump out of a plane SOMETHING YOUR CO-WORKERS DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: I am a licensed Realtor and in my spare time I help people get into their forever homes.

The manufacturers listed are holders of their respective names and/or trademarks, and are not to be taken as an endorsement or affilation with AIV, Inc.

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ICEMAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

IN FOCUS ALEX PINTO, ED.D., MBA, MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

lex Pinto, Ed.D., MBA, is a respected healthcare strategy, operations and diagnostic imaging leader nominated for an In Focus feature by Kevin Ordway, CRA, executive director at Radiologic Associates of Middletown. Alex is currently a management consultant with Clarify Health. He previously held positions with ECG Management Consultants, Guidehouse, GE HealthCare Partners and more. His career began in rehabilitation and sports medicine. Now, he is focused on improving imaging departments and patient care. “Similar to many in the radiology space, I enjoyed the clinical aspects of patient care but wanted to improve how we delivered that care,” Alex recalls. “That led to management and then executive roles with health systems. Over time, I moved into the consulting space, bringing my clinical background mixed with operations expertise to support many organizations nationally and across a mix of service lines. Much of my focus lately has been in supporting access to care for diagnostic imaging services and driving improved analytics that support process improvement.” When asked about his greatest accomplishment, Alex points to improving access to care while reducing patient wait times. “I’m very proud of my partnership with many health systems. By improving access to care, I truly believe we are improving healthcare outcomes. Timely care leads to better interventions and treatments, which leads to better outcomes,” he says. “Specific to imaging, I’m proud of work completed in partnership with a large health system in the Pacific Northwest, where our work

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

decreased outpatient imaging wait times up to 13% while increasing the volume of delivered care by nearly 11%.” The work can be challenging and extremely rewarding, especially when it involves supporting talented technologists and improving patient care. “It is incredibly rewarding to partner with frontline leaders and help them overcome logical barriers to improving care. Frontline imaging leaders know their business inside and out but are often challenged by executive leaders who either do not understand the business or are applying non-imaging benchmarks and standards to imaging departments,” Alex says. “By partnering with imaging leaders to demonstrate a strong business case through improvement and alternative benchmarking and analytics, we are able to improve the lives of patients and technologists.” Given his focus on improving patient access and outcomes, it is no surprise that his leadership style centers on teamwork. “Collaboration is key – everyone on a team brings perspectives that will make a product better,” he explains. “I always seek to understand the root cause of a barrier. When a barrier exists, I want to understand what is needed to overcome that barrier then build a business case that supports that need. I believe leaders often default to ‘no’ rather than ask ‘why’ and ‘how.’” AHRA Executive Director Jason Newmark describes Alex as a humble leader. “Another attribute that I appreciate is that Alex works well with all levels of teams; frontline staff to clinical leaders and the C-suite; and people naturally trust him due to his personal approach and communication style,” Jason says. “What really stands out to me, though, is that he never looks for the spotlight; he consistently finds ways to recognize his colleagues and teams for their efforts and shared successes.” “Alex is one of my favorite people to work with – inquisitive, smart, willing to be a little pushy (when he needs to be), fun and just someone who truly helps people make their operations and services better,” Jason says. “He has a calm, steady presence, has developed a great sense for medical imaging best practices (specifically, with regard to access to services, workflow optimizations and patient experience). He also is very strong at helping organizations identify the most impactful performance metrics to measure and monitor and to then help develop and implement dashboards to assist in active tracking. Data is key for Alex!” Jason adds. Alex also believes in the power of mentorship and states that he has benefitted from, “too many to count. And I’m grateful to all of them.” “When I reflect on periods of success in my career, I can always point to a mentor being close by during my periods of true career growth. My advice to anyone looking to grow their career is to identify their mentor and if they cannot evaluate if you’re in the right role,” Alex says. Looking ahead, Alex believes artificial intelligence and diagnostic imaging will continue to transform healthcare. “No industry is realizing more from AI than radiology, especially on the clinical front. But I believe AI is going to dramatically improve how diagnostic imaging services operate,” he says. “We are already seeing some EHRs and third-party tools support dynamic, AI-driven template management, offering real-time changes to appointment inventory based on what is scheduled or canceled. These tools will help us optimize all of our resources – staff, physicians and machines, to make best use of scarce resources.” When not at work, Alex stresses collaboration and teamwork in his personal life. When asked about his family, he says, “My wife, AmyBeth, who has a career as an accountant that is as challenging as my own. We balance our careers against raising our two elementary-aged daughters, Amelia and Adrienne.” • THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

ALEX PINTO

EdD, MBA, Management Consultant at Clarify Health Favorite sports team? My alma mater - Utah Utes! Last show or series you binge-watched? “Silo” One thing most co-workers don’t know about you? I went to college on a scholarship for (male) cheerleading. What is your hobby? Horseback riding – English hunter/jump. My daughters and I share in this sport. One thing you do every morning to start your day right? A second cup of coffee What is the best advice you ever received? Don’t leave something for someone else, if you’re capable of doing it yourself. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Infinite/precise memory What is the perfect meal? My mother’s Thanksgiving dinner cooked her way – turkey and all the fixings.

ICEMAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

Off Clock THE

LIZZY RAINEY, FRANCISCAN HEALTH LAFAYETTE BY MATT SKOUFALOS

rowing up in Gary, Indiana, Lizzy Rainey couldn’t have imagined spending 45 years working in the medical imaging field – especially because she only entered X-ray school because her sister, a nurse, suggested that she do so. “I just did what my sister told me to do,” Lizzy said. “I didn’t really like it at first, but I was young, and I grew to love it.” After completing her education at the hospital-based Porter Memorial School of Radiologic Technology in Valparaiso, Indiana, Lizzy began working at St. Mary Hospital in nearby Hobart, Indiana. From there, her career took her to McCray Memorial Hospital in Kendallville, Indiana, where Lizzy spent 12 years before joining Franciscan Health Lafayette, from which she’s retired after another 24 years. At 64, Lizzy has given so much of her body to her career in moving patients and heavy imaging equipment that she’s all but been forced to retire from it. Often, she worked with ice packs on her joints to minimize the strain, and in the past few years, even underwent multiple surgeries to help address the discomfort. But none of it has diminished the love Lizzy feels for her profession and the impact she’s made on people in need. “The hospital work is heavy, but it is the most fulfilling,” Lizzy said. “The heavy-duty emergency room was one of my favorite places to be. I worked my share of the holidays, Friday mornings, and throughout the weekend – sometimes to 2 a.m. – and I would also fill in if they needed me.” “People come in at their worst, either completely sick or distressed, but when you’re there at their worst moment, it’s so fulfilling to help that person in the most pain-free way that I could possibly do,” she said. “As X-ray techs, we are the doctors’ eyes,” Lizzy said. “It was very fulfilling to help people and help the doctors to do their jobs.”

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In addition to homeschooling her four children during the week, Lizzy has been an avid, self-taught artist for years. Together with her husband Zachary, a minister and hospital chaplain, she raised four children – Austin, Zach, Jayson and Sarah – and now enjoys the blessings of four grandchildren. Throughout her career, whenever she wasn’t at work, Lizzy enjoyed painting at home, taking her inspiration from a variety of influences and spending hours redirecting the energy from work into art. When her mother passed away in 2004, what had begun as an outlet for self-expression became a conduit for emotional catharsis. In her grief, Lizzy started painting more intensely. Within four years she had become so prolific that when Radiologic Technology, the industry publication from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), held a cover contest, Lizzy won it on her first attempt. She would go on to do so twice more. Beyond the personal fulfillment of winning contests, however, Lizzy began thinking about how to fuse her artistic interests with her vocational pursuits. In small moments at the hospital, she would look over X-rays with her fellow techs, and scenescapes would begin to emerge from the images. “We’d sit around the computer with our X-rays, and they’d say, ‘Hey, look, Liz, there’s a tree!’ or, ‘There’s branches,’” Lizzy remembered. “We’d do it together. ‘Here’s a foot!’ ‘Here’s water coming out of the sinuses!’” “To hear the other girls seeing things, it was fun,” she said. “We were all starting to see patterns in nature that were very similar to patterns in the human body. Then, I’d go home and put it on canvas.” One night, when Lizzy returned late from the hospital and decided to unwind by painting, carpal bones surfaced in her memory. As she put them down on the canvas, Lizzy added in some little river stones around them until they started to resemble bones, too. “I sent it to ASRT and said, ‘This is called ‘Carpal River ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

Stones,’” she said. “They liked it and asked me to do a whole series. “Just from exhaustion and getting some unwinding time, I was painting what I did at work,” Lizzy said. “That’s how I created Landscape Anatomy Art.” Lizzy had landed on a thematic concept by which her artwork would find its signature form in the imaging world. An angiogram conjuring the shape of branches twisting in a storm became “Stormy Cerebral”; a gnarled lung image became “Old Oak Chest CT”; an image of a clavicular injury became “Shoulder Boulder.” Because her pieces held more than a small degree of anatomical accuracy, X-ray techs who pored over the scenes could find the aorta, the bile ducts, or the skeletal and vascular structures of the body. Lizzy’s works have adorned convention banners, magazine covers, hospital walls, and even hung in research institutions. To commemorate the sacrifices of healthcare professionals during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Franciscan Health commissioned Lizzy to create a wall-length triptych of the crisis. Her brushstrokes captured all, from the anxious, early days of the viral outbreak through the development of vaccines, concluding in 40 miniature portraits of the hospital staff who endured the pandemic there. One of her favorite works, “Peace Pose,” depicts her late coworker, Elizabeth Katsafaros, holding two outstretched fingers in a peace sign. “We were in the middle of COVID, when people were quitting, staff was crying, some even walking out, and she is standing with her radiologist doctor in her isolation gown, her hand up in a peace sign,” Lizzy recalls. “She’s got such a good attitude during this entire thing,” Lizzy said. “I painted her upper body with her fingers in the peace pose during that horrible time.” Lizzy is equally proud of an exhibition of her artwork that hung in Cook Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana. She painted the angiogram of a staff member there into a tangled tree forest in autumn to commemorate the difficulties he was enduring. The image remains with her as another example of how beauty can reveal itself in the most challenging of circumstances. Today, Lizzy’s artwork isn’t only an offshoot of her career; it’s an activity whereby she can lose herself for hours at a canvas in her home studio. She delivers commissioned work, including portraiture that isn’t medically inspired. Although her friends and coworkers all teased her that she’d finally have enough time to paint as much as she wanted in retirement, Lizzy said she’s not as concerned about making it into a second, full-time career. Rather, it’s a thing that other people enjoy after she’s satisfied with the results of her own process. “I’ve never really counted on the money from my art,” Lizzy said; “I always wanted it to be something I feel good with.” • THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

Lizzy Rainey has created several paintings inspired by work including “Carpal River Stones,” “Stormy Cerebral,” “Old Oak Chest CT” and “Shoulder Boulder.”

ICEMAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

ICE Debut A

-Plus Medical Company Inc. Founder Jeanette Botko recently shared information about the company with ICE Magazine Editor John Wallace. “A-Plus Medical is a woman-owned diagnostic imaging parts and equipment company built on reliability, honesty and integrity,” she said. “We’re a multi-modality, multi-OEM parts house with more than 30,000 parts in stock, delivering to over 25 countries. We support GE, Philips, Siemens, Carestream and most other major diagnostic imaging OEMs across all major modalities, with a heavy focus on portable X-ray and DR.” “What I’m most proud of right now is how far we’ve grown,” Botko added. “We recently joined forces with JPI Healthcare Solutions to offer cost-conscious imaging systems, and through that partnership launched A-Plus Animal Health, bringing quality veterinary imaging within reach for clinics and the pets they care for.” Botko participated in a Q&A session where she shared more about the company and its goals. Q: HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY STAND OUT IN THE IMAGING SPACE? A: We’re a very small business within the medical industry, but we’re big in our own niche – in what we provide and in how we deliver it. Our clients contact

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

our team, and we follow the request through to delivery. It isn’t a ticket that changes hands, and it isn’t an AI system that traps you in a round robin of buttons to push. When a part is hard to find, we are the call. Obsolete, discontinued or something no other company wants to bother with – we’ll take on the challenge. Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY GOALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE? A: Through the rest of the year, our focus is our team – adding depth so existing clients keep getting the attention they’re used to and new clients get it from day one. We’re also putting real weight behind the newer sides of the business, which have grown faster than we expected. Q: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE ICE MAGAZINE READERS TO KNOW? A: That we’re small enough to care and big enough to deliver. If you’re chasing a part nobody can find or looking at a capital purchase and wondering whether there’s a smarter way to spend the money, call us – you’ll get a real person who knows imaging and will stay with it until it’s solved. • For more information, visit aplusmedical.biz.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

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SPOTLIGHT

AHRA 2026

ANNUAL MEETING

STAYING AWESOME, LEANING FORWARD & LEADING THROUGH CHANGE

he 2026 AHRA Annual Meeting welcomed more than 1,500 imaging leaders and industry partners in Orlando, Florida, in July. Throughout four days of education, networking, and collaboration, attendees explored issues affecting imaging departments now and in the years ahead, leaving with new ideas, stronger connections and practical takeaways to bring back to their teams. MORE THAN A CONFERENCE – A COMMUNITY From the opening welcome delivered by 2025-2026 President Wesley Harden, CRA, FAHRA, it was clear what makes the AHRA Annual Meeting unique: the people. Whether attendees were longtime members, first-time participants or newly welcomed members from the Association for Radiologic & Imaging Nursing (ARIN), the meeting made it easy for attendees to connect and be a part of the AHRA community. The Annual Meeting Design Team, aka the Sunshine Squad, provided real-time support for attendees throughout the week, while networking events, receptions and informal conversations created opportunities to reconnect with colleagues and build new professional relationships. That spirit of connection carried throughout the conference. As Cindy Winter, CRA, FAHRA, reflected in her incoming president’s remarks, AHRA remains a place where leaders share ideas freely, mentor one another and work together to advance the profession and patient care. TACKLING THE CHALLENGES FACING IMAGING LEADERS Many of this year’s popular sessions focused on the operational 16

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and workforce challenges facing healthcare organizations today. Workforce challenges were a recurring theme across sessions. Presenters from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) shared an apprenticeship program designed to create a sustainable talent pipeline by connecting students with hands-on imaging experience before they enter radiography programs. Their message encouraged leaders to shift from asking where future technologists will come from to actively creating opportunities that help develop them. Additional workforce-focused sessions explored smarter hiring strategies, retention and culture-building. Speakers emphasized that recruitment extends far beyond filling vacancies. Employee engagement, recognition, communication and organizational culture all play critical roles in longterm success. Practical examples, including peer recognition programs, employee listening initiatives and leadership transparency, demonstrated how small changes can have a significant impact on morale and retention. Several sessions focused on improving day-to-day operations. Expert speakers examined staffing productivity, benchmarking, patient access, revenue-cycle management and workflow improvement. Attendees learned how data-driven staffing models can help justify resources, how front-end workflow issues can create hidden revenue leakage, and how simplifying access processes can improve operational performance and patient experience. Leaders also explored long-term financial planning through discussions on total cost of ownership for imaging equipment, highlighting the importance of evaluating life

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

cycle costs, service agreements, staffing needs, training requirements, and replacement strategies – not just purchase price. KEYNOTES INSPIRED RESILIENCE AND GROWTH Two keynote presentations delivered some of the conference’s most memorable moments. Cam Awesome opened the week with a powerful story of perseverance, self-belief and resilience. Sharing his journey from a bullied child to becoming the winningest boxer in U.S. history, he challenged attendees to rethink how they respond to setbacks. His message centered on the idea that failure is not the end of the story, but rather an opportunity to learn, grow and come back stronger. Attendees were encouraged to give themselves grace, focus on possibility and remember that success often comes from continuing after disappointment. Paralympian, author and speaker Josh Sundquist delivered an equally impactful message. Through stories of childhood cancer, elite athletics and personal reinvention, Sundquist explored the importance of adaptation, empathy and perseverance, all while maintaining a good sense of humor. He reminded attendees that success is less about avoiding obstacles and more about how quickly we recover from them. His challenge to find “one more thing” – one extra effort, idea or action that can make a real difference – resonated with leaders navigating today’s healthcare environment. Together, the two speakers reinforced a powerful theme that appeared throughout the Annual Meeting: leadership is built through resilience, courage and a willingness to embrace change. INVESTING IN THE FUTURE Beyond educational sessions, attendees celebrated the work being done year-round to support the imaging profession. The AHRA Education Foundation highlighted its investments in scholarships, leadership development, benchmarking research and educational programming. AHRA members were also recognized for their achievements, with several award winners being recognized during the opening session, as well as a celebration of recently inducted Certified Radiology Administrators (CRAs). The fun continued Tuesday night as attendees stepped back in time for a ’90s-themed luau bash, a high-energy celebration that turned the conference into a dance party. Decked out in tropical shirts, leis and plenty of ’90s-inspired flair, imaging leaders packed the dance floor, sang along to familiar hits and embraced the chance to unwind after several days of learning and collaboration. The event offered a perfect reminder that some of AHRA’s strongest connections are built not only in educational sessions, but also in the moments of laughter, camaraderie – and a fair amount of dancing – shared throughout the week. LOOKING AHEAD: PLANNING FOR SAN JOSE As the meeting came to a close, one message stood out: no imaging leader has to face the future alone. Attendees returned home with practical solutions, new ways of thinking about familiar challenges, expanded professional networks and renewed optimism about what lies ahead. Most importantly, they left with the confidence that the AHRA community will continue to support one another through every challenge and opportunity to come. The journey continues next year when AHRA gathers in San Jose, California, for the 2027 Annual Meeting – ready once again to innovate, collaborate and shape what’s next in imaging leadership. •

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ICEMAGAZINE

NEWS

Imaging News RIGHT TOAREPAIR LAWSUIT FILED IN TEXAS LOOK AT WHAT’S CHANGING IN THE IMAGING INDUSTRY On April 21, Marshall Shannon, director of operations at Image Technology Consulting LLC, filed the lawsuit Shannon v. Philips North America LLC, Case No. 3:26-cv-01276-B-BW, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Image Technology Consulting LLC is an independent service organization (ISO) described on its website as “the leading third-party parts and service provider, specializing in Philips and Siemens equipment, while providing superior support for all major OEM systems.” The lawsuit claims that restrictions on Philips MR scanner software are illegal because they prevent ISOs from servicing the diagnostic imaging devices. The filing states that OEMs must remove software restrictions that prevent access to servicing information and maintenance menus, citing federal FDA regulations. The filing asks the court to order Philips to change its policies. “At this time, Philips has no comment on the ongoing litigation,” a spokesperson said via email. Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director at The Repair Association, said, “OEMs are blowing smoke because their arguments do not pass the smell test.” She explained that broken equipment doesn’t work until repaired. “Adding limitations on access to repair materials only delays the repair process and delays access to equipment,” Gordon-Byrne said. “Slow repair is dangerous when equipment is needed for patient care. During the pandemic, there was national concern about repairing ventilators on a timely basis. Concern has waned because COVID isn’t killing as many people – not because ventilator repair got better.” Claims of cybersecurity concerns also appear to be false

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

claims from Gordon-Byrne’s perspective. “Cybersecurity has nothing to do with repair. It sounds scary but isn’t the real world. If a product is broken, it doesn’t connect to a network. It is access through the working network to working products that allows for cyber risk. When asked for examples – which we have done for more than a decade, the answer is always ‘I’ll get back to you.’ We’d sure like to know how to help improve cybersecurity.” She added that “broken hardware has nothing to do with component or product performance. A functional spare part is identical to the original.” “Most problems of digital electronics failures are related to inadequate cooling resulting in overheating. Broken wires don’t just degrade performance; they prevent the part from working entirely,” Gordon-Byrne said. “Things that aren’t working need to be repaired and for our healthcare system to have more access to trained technicians with access to the right parts and tools is simply wise.” Gordon-Byrne said statements from OEM lobbyists “make no sense and cannot be supported with evidence. I can only hope that the courts will demand proof of these statements. We’ve been asking the same since 2013 and still waiting for an answer.” Looking ahead, Gordon-Byrne said the right to repair medical devices appears to be gaining momentum. “Right to repair for medical equipment is difficult to pass because legislators are inclined to believe OEMs are being truthful. The OEMs don’t tell their lobbyists the truth either – so ridiculous arguments are accepted at face value,” Gordon-Byrne said. “Bills are advancing and OEMs are hitting the panic button.”

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

FIRST DIAGNOSTIC X-RAYS IN SPACE MARK NEW ERA FOR ASTRONAUT HEALTH A team of crew members aboard a commercial spaceflight acquired the first diagnostic X-rays during an orbital flight. Results of the mission were published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “It’s been a dream for aerospace medicine to have more than one imaging modality for diagnosing illnesses and injuries in space,” said Sheyna Gifford, M.D., lead researcher and an assistant professor of aerospace medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “X-rays are fast, easy and diagnostically valuable.” For more than four decades, ultrasound has been the only reliable medical imaging modality used in spaceflight. As spaceflight missions increase in duration and distance, increasing the risk of adverse medical events, the limitations of ultrasound have become less acceptable. Ultrasound imaging requires substantial operator training and relies on a sound wave transmitting medium. “Traditional X-ray machines are very large, produce a lot of radiation, and have a tendency to produce a blurred image if there’s movement,” Gifford said. “Because everything in space is constantly moving, the conceit has been that obtaining a diagnostic image in orbit was too technically challenging.”

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The availability of small, portable X-ray machines offered Gifford’s team the opportunity to test in-orbit X-ray capabilities. In 2022, the flight crew, with minimal medical training, took a portable X-ray machine on a parabolic flight and successfully obtained a digital X-ray of a hand in microgravity. Gifford’s team partnered with the commercial company SpaceX to investigate the feasibility of using a commercial off-the-shelf portable radiography system on Fram2, a 3.5-day polar orbital flight. “Portable X-ray machines are in use everywhere – at the Kentucky Derby, on the sidelines of the Super Bowl and around the globe in low-resource areas – because they can run on solar power and can be operated by individuals with no medical expertise,” she said. “We believed an off-the-shelf portable system would stand a very good chance of surviving prelaunch testing and be operational in space by crew members with minimal training.” In the prospective study, anatomic and equipment X-rays were obtained both preflight and inflight by crew members using an X-ray system featuring an ultraportable wireless digital X-ray generator. All images were evaluated by independent radiologists.

ICEMAGAZINE

NEWS

MIM ANYWARE EXTENDS REMOTE ACCESS TO DATA, OPTIMIZES COLLABORATION GE HealthCare has introduced MIM Anyware, a remote access platform that provides secure, healthcare system-controlled access to imaging data through a web browser without requiring local software installation. By enabling authorized users to access MIM software applications from virtually any location, MIM Anyware is designed to support collaboration across departments and clinical decision-making. Healthcare systems are managing increasingly large and complex imaging volumes, creating new demands for improved access, collaboration and workflow efficiency. At the same time, traditional virtual access approaches can be limited by siloed workstations, significant IT requirements and platforms not designed for modern imaging environments. To help address these challenges, there is a growing need for tools that empower collaboration between the scanner and reading room while providing remote access to high-quality imaging data without compromising performance. MIM Anyware brings the familiar convenience of shared document technology into clinical environments, enabling physicians to collaborate seamlessly. Multiple users – including physicians, physicists, dosimetrists and other clinicians – can join the same MIM session,

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

perform routine clinical processing including workflow deployment or reviewing registrations, and dose, together in real time. This secure, remote access helps streamline cross-functional collaboration, accelerate decision-making and support more coordinated, efficient care. “Research has shown that effective collaboration among multidisciplinary teams plays an important role in delivering coordinated, patient-centered care. That’s why we designed MIM Anyware to redefine how clinicians engage with medical imaging data in virtual environments,” said J. Anders, general manager, MIM, GE HealthCare. “By enabling seamless access to imaging data and MIM’s powerful analysis tools directly through a web browser, we’re helping clinicians stay focused on what matters most: patient care.” Particularly for cancer care, clinical decision-making can be complex, often requiring collaboration among multiple specialists across the care team. Technologies that support collaboration and workflow efficiency can help radiation oncology teams work more effectively as they navigate a rapidly changing landscape. MIM Anyware supports the evolving needs of oncology workflows, from consultations and referrals to education and tumor board collaboration.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

PHILIPS INTRODUCES ALTURION ULTRASOUND SYSTEM WITH AI-POWERED WORKFLOWS Royal Philips recently launched its Alturion ultrasound system with AI-powered workflow built for high-volume settings. Available in the USA and Europe following FDA 510(k) clearance and CE mark certification, Alturion helps clinicians work more efficiently, deliver consistent results and make confident clinical decisions. As healthcare providers manage growing demand and increasing operational complexity, ultrasound teams need solutions that help improve efficiency without compromising quality. With the introduction of Alturion, Philips expands its ultrasound portfolio by bringing together advanced imaging, AI-powered workflows and a connected ecosystem that is designed to help streamline examinations and support consistency across users and clinical settings. Alturion’s powerful processing architecture supports

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responsive performance and clear visualization across patients and exam types. With an expansive 24-inch monitor and a small footprint, the system enables easy movement from department to bedside and supports space utilization. Streamlined, intuitive workflows help reduce manual adjustments and exam time, helping providers manage high patient volumes, while a familiar user interface supports operational simplicity and consistency across care teams. Alturion is the newest ultrasound system to include Elevate Plus with AI-powered measurements for abdominal ultrasound. AI-enabled capabilities help streamline acquisition, automate measurements and support reproducibility. By helping reduce variability and save time, these tools can contribute to more consistent exams and support clinical decision-making. •

ICEMAGAZINE

INSIGHTS

DIRECTOR’S

CIRCLE MOBILE IMAGING TR AILERS

s healthcare systems balance growing demand for advanced imaging with capital constraints, equipment replacement projects and the need to expand access, mobile imaging trailers remain a strategic resource. Far more than a temporary solution, today’s mobile MRI, CT, PET/CT and other imaging units help organizations maintain continuity of care during renovations, extend specialized services into underserved communities, reduce appointment backlogs and test new markets before investing in permanent facilities. For this Director’s Circle discussion, three imaging leaders share how their organizations are leveraging mobile imaging trailers along with the operational and infrastructure challenges they face. These imaging leaders also share best practices that ensure patients receive the high-quality experience they expect. Director’s Circle participants are: • AdventHealth Manager of Imaging Services Casie Miller, MHA CRA RT(R)CT M; • Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital Radiology Director Rich Egan; and • University Hospitals Radiology Supervisor Mobile Fleet Kelly Waddell M.B.A., R.T. (R) (CT) Q: WHAT ROLE DO MOBILE IMAGING TRAILERS PLAY IN YOUR ORGANIZATION’S IMAGING STRATEGY? MILLER: Imaging trailers have become an important asset for our organization. We are currently using MRI trailers to help meet the growing consumer demand across our area.

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

Having a mobile imaging solution gives us the flexibility to serve our communities where the need is greatest, allowing us to provide MRI services at all our AdventHealth Heartland locations. This approach improves access to care while helping the continuity of services across our market area. EGAN: I have used mobile imaging trailers to launch new programs and to provide temporary support while new equipment is being installed. At the last few facilities where I worked, we offered mobile PET/CT services, typically one day per week. Because my experience has been primarily in community hospitals, volume has not supported purchasing our own unit; however, the service remains important for the community. At another facility, we also used a short-term mobile unit while replacing our cardiac catheterization lab. That arrangement worked well because the cost was included in the capital project rather than the operational budget. WADDELL: Mobile imaging trailers play a vital role in University Hospitals’ (UH) imaging strategy by expanding access to advanced diagnostic services at not only our hospital-based locations but also our ambulatory locations that may not have certain on-site imaging equipment. Rather than requiring patients to travel long distances for specialized imaging, our mobile fleet brings these services directly to the communities we serve, providing greater convenience and improved patient experience. Mobile imaging also helps address one of the most significant challenges in diagnostic care, access to timely appointments. Patients requiring advanced imaging, such as MRI, often face lead times of several weeks before an appointment becomes available. These delays can post-

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

pone diagnosis and treatment, ultimately affecting patient outcomes. By strategically deploying our mobile imaging units to areas with the greatest need, we can increase imaging capacity, reduce lead times and help patients begin treatment sooner. This approach not only improves access to care but also enhances the overall quality of life for the patients we serve. Q: UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE YOU FOUND MOBILE IMAGING TRAILERS TO BE THE MOST VALUABLE? MILLER: Mobile imaging trailers have been especially valuable for expanding capacity, improving access in our rural communities and maintaining services during renovation or equipment replacements. They allow us to meet the needs of our growing patient population, bring imaging services closer to rural customers and avoid significant backlogs of exams when permanent equipment is offline. Overall, they have been an effective solution for maintaining patient access and operational continuity.

I M AG I N G

LEADERS

CASIE MILLER ADVENTHEALTH

EGAN: Mobile imaging trailers are most valuable during equipment replacement, especially when bridging the gap during construction and installation of systems such as CT, MRI, PET/CT or cath lab equipment. This is particularly important when a facility has only one unit, because maintaining continuity helps prevent delays, avoids frustration among referring providers and ensures patients can be scheduled in a timely manner. For IR and cath lab services, mobile support also helps protect provider revenue by allowing procedures to continue during the replacement period. WADDELL: As part of UH’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality diagnostic imaging, the health system has undertaken a comprehensive initiative to replace imaging scanners across our system with a standardized platform. These technology upgrades are a significant investment in patient care; however, each installation can take several months to complete, temporarily limiting access to imaging services at the affected location. Mobile imaging units play a critical role in ensuring continuity of care throughout these projects. Rather than requiring patients to travel to another facility, often a considerable distance from their homes, our mobile units allow imaging services to remain available within the community while construction is underway. By maintaining access to essential diagnostic services, we minimize disruption, reduce inconvenience and ensure patients continue to receive the exceptional care and experience they expect from University Hospitals.

RICH EGAN

ORLANDO HEALTH MELBOURNE HOSPITAL

KELLY WADDELL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS

Q: WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN DEPLOYING AND MANAGING MOBILE IMAGING TRAILERS? MILLER: The biggest operational challenges involved in mobile imaging trailers are the coordination of site-to-site transfers, maintenance of site infrastructure at each location to ensure proper trailer support and seamless patient experience for our consumers. EGAN: Over the past few years, the biggest operational challenges have been IT connectivity and phone access. The hospital-side connection can be exposed to weather, so it must be properly protected from the elements. Reliable phone service is also critical in case staff need to report emergencies on the trailer, such as a Code Blue for cardiac arrest or a Code Red for fire. Another key

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ICEMAGAZINE

INSIGHTS challenge is maintaining compliance with accrediting bodies, such as The Joint Commission, by ensuring protocols, policies, procedures and annual physicist equipment checks remain current.

tribute to the experience. The consumer should receive the same exceptional care, compassion and professionalism on a mobile unit that they would receive in any of our onsite imaging departments.

WADDELL: Operating a mobile imaging fleet presents a unique set of challenges that extend beyond those of a traditional imaging department. Among the most significant are equipment reliability, staffing and ensuring that each location has the infrastructure necessary to support a mobile imaging unit.

EGAN: At the recent AHRA meeting in Orlando, I met with several mobile imaging providers offering modular units designed to fit on the same pad as an existing trailer. From a patient experience standpoint, this approach is beneficial because the unit looks and feels more like part of the hospital. The newer designs also included gradual-entry ramps instead of the traditional lifts many providers still use today. In Florida, where summer rain is frequent, overhangs are essential. A reliable air-conditioning system is also critical for patient comfort and equipment performance.

Our mobile imaging trailers travel to different communities nearly every day. Like any vehicle that is frequently on the road, they experience wear and tear that stationary imaging equipment does not. In addition to the imaging system itself, each unit includes numerous mechanical components, such as the trailer chassis and all its moving parts, leveling systems and patient lift. These are essential for safe operation. When any of these systems require maintenance or experience an unexpected failure, it can impact our ability to transport the unit to its next destination, potentially delaying patient care. Preventive maintenance and proactive equipment management are therefore critical to maintaining reliable service. Staffing presents another important challenge. Similar to healthcare organizations across the country, recruiting experienced imaging technologists remains competitive. Because the word “mobile” can sometimes create uncertainty about the role, prospective candidates may initially hesitate to apply. However, once they learn more about the position, they often recognize the unique opportunities it offers, such as working in diverse communities, building relationships across multiple care sites and making a meaningful impact by expanding access to advanced imaging services. Perhaps the greatest operational challenge is preparing each site to accommodate a mobile imaging unit. Every location requires specialized infrastructure, including a reinforced concrete pad, adequate electrical service, and reliable network connectivity to support clinical operations and image transmission. These infrastructure investments require significant planning, coordination and financial commitment well in advance of deployment. While these requirements can limit flexibility, they ensure that patients receive the same high-quality, safe and reliable imaging experience they would expect at any imaging location. Q: FROM A PATIENT EXPERIENCE STANDPOINT, WHAT STEPS ARE IMPORTANT TO ENSURE MOBILE IMAGING SERVICES PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF QUALITY, COMFORT AND CONFIDENCE AS A TRADITIONAL IMAGING DEPARTMENT? MILLER: Great patient experience starts with making the process safe and easy for the consumer. Clear communication, easy access and a welcoming team all con-

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

WADDELL: Our goal is to create an experience in which patients feel they are entering a traditional imaging suite, with the added convenience of receiving care closer to home. Many of our locations feature a climate-controlled, enclosed walkway that connects the medical office building directly to the mobile imaging unit, providing patients with a comfortable transition regardless of the weather. We also take great care to ensure these areas remain clean, safe and well maintained throughout the year. Inside each mobile unit, patients receive the same high standard of care they would expect at any UH imaging center. Our mobile fleet is equipped with advanced imaging technology comparable to the systems used in our hospitals and ambulatory facilities, enabling us to deliver high-quality diagnostic imaging without compromising clinical excellence. Every mobile unit operates in compliance with the rigorous standards established by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), ensuring the same commitment to safety, quality and regulatory excellence found throughout the health system. Ultimately, our objective is to make the mobile imaging experience as seamless and reassuring as possible. From arrival through exam completion, we strive to provide a welcoming, efficient and comfortable environment so that every patient leaves with confidence in the quality of care they have received. Q: WHAT FACTORS SHOULD IMAGING LEADERS CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO USE A MOBILE IMAGING TRAILER INSTEAD OF PURCHASING OR EXPANDING PERMANENT IMAGING SPACE? MILLER: It is important to review the data surrounding the project before planning the use of a mobile unit. Data such as patient volume, projected growth, available capital and expected timelines should all be con-

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

sidered. Mobile units can also be an effective solution to test demand before making any long-term, permanent moves. EGAN: The primary factor is expected exam volume. If volume supports it, permanent onsite equipment is usually the better long-term option. However, some organizations have limited hospital space, especially near the imaging department, and onsite construction depends on approved capital funding. Mobile imaging is often funded through the operating budget, which can make it easier for administrators to justify. WADDELL: One of the most important factors imaging leaders should consider is patient demand. Before investing in a permanent imaging suite or deploying a mobile imaging unit, it is essential to evaluate whether patient volumes justify the investment. Key performance indicators such as equipment utilization rates, appointment availability and scheduling backlogs help determine whether additional imaging capacity is needed. For example, if patients are waiting several weeks for an MRI appointment, it may indicate a need to expand capacity. But, if an existing scanner is not being fully utilized, adding another unit may not be the most effective solution. Financial considerations are equally important. Whether investing in a permanent scanner or establishing a mobile imaging site, the upfront capital costs can be substantial. Ensuring there is sufficient patient volume to support these investments is critical to longterm operational and financial success. Flexibility is another significant advantage of mobile imaging. Smaller facilities may not have the patient volume to justify multiple permanent imaging modalities, yet they still need to provide access to a broad range of diagnostic services. A single mobile imaging site can accommodate a rotating schedule of modalities, such as MRI, CT, PET/CT or mammography, allowing healthcare systems to match services with community demand while maximizing the utilization of both equipment and infrastructure. By carefully evaluating patient demand, financial sustainability and operational flexibility, imaging leaders can determine the approach that best meets the needs of their patients and the communities they serve.

safety, workflow and customer service regardless of the environment – mobile unit or imaging department suite. EGAN: Imaging leaders should ensure the mobile provider contract clearly includes the appropriate radiopharmaceuticals, such as FDG or other tracers needed for specific exams, including prostate imaging. The agreement should also define expected unit uptime, especially when the trailer rotates among multiple sites. Whenever possible, request a unit that your radiologists are comfortable interpreting from, as their input is important for buy-in and protocol development. WADDELL: I spent seven and a half years working as a CT technologist before transitioning into the role of supervisor for the mobile fleet approximately a year and a half ago. Having experienced mobile imaging from both the clinical and operational perspectives, I have developed a deep appreciation for the unique value it brings to patients and caregivers alike. As a technologist, the mobile environment offers a refreshing change from a traditional imaging department. Each day brings the opportunity to work with different teams, serve diverse communities and enjoy a dynamic work environment. Whether transporting patients between the imaging lobby and the mobile unit or collaborating with staff at multiple locations, the experience is engaging and rewarding. From a leadership perspective, overseeing the mobile fleet has challenged me in new and meaningful ways. Managing a highly coordinated operation that spans multiple communities requires strategic planning, collaboration and adaptability. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to help expand access to advanced diagnostic imaging while ensuring patients receive the same high standard of care they would expect at any medical facility. What I find most fulfilling is knowing that our mobile imaging program extends the reach of exceptional healthcare. By bringing advanced imaging services directly to the communities we serve, we improve access, reduce barriers to care and help ensure that more patients receive timely, high-quality diagnostic imaging close to home. •

Q: WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SHARE WITH THE ICE MAGAZINE COMMUNITY REGARDING MOBILE IMAGING TRAILERS? MILLER: A major takeaway from this discussion is a mobile unit shouldn’t operate like a temporary solution – it should operate as an extension of the imaging department. Consumers should experience the same quality,

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PRODUCTS

Market Report MOBILE IMAGING TRAILER MARKET GROWS STAFF REPORT

obile imaging trailers have evolved from temporary stopgap solutions into strategic assets for hospitals, health systems and outpatient providers. As healthcare organizations face growing patient volumes, aging populations and ongoing capital constraints, mobile imaging solutions are increasingly being deployed to maintain service continuity, expand access to advanced imaging and support facility renovations without disrupting patient care. Market research from multiple firms points to steady growth, driven by demand for flexible, cost-effective imaging services and continued advances in imaging technology. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global mobile imaging services market was valued at approximately $2.03 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $3.26 billion by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.45%. The firm attributes much of this growth to rising rates of chronic disease, increasing demand for diagnostic imaging and expanding efforts to improve access to care outside traditional hospital settings. Coherent Market Insights projects an even larger global market, estimating mobile imaging services will reach $16.24 billion in 2026 before growing to $20.66 billion by 2033, reflecting a CAGR of 3.5%. While market-sizing methodologies differ among research firms, both reports identify similar long-term drivers, including healthcare accessibility, technological improvements and increasing demand for convenient diagnostic services. For many healthcare providers, mobile imaging trailers are no longer reserved solely for emergencies. Instead, they have become an important component of long-term imaging strategies. Grand View Research reports that mobile and interim imaging services allow hospitals to continue providing MRI, CT, PET/CT, mammography, ultrasound and other imaging services during equipment replacements, facility renovations or periods of unusually high patient demand. Fully equipped, climate-controlled trailers enable providers to maintain diagnostic capacity without interrupting patient care. The research also notes that expanding access to advanced imaging in rural and underserved communities remains a significant growth opportunity because mobile units can bring high-quality diagnostic imaging THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

to locations where installing permanent equipment may not be economically feasible. The growing prevalence of chronic disease remains one of the strongest market drivers. Fortune Business Insights reports that increasing cases of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions continue to generate higher imaging volumes across hospitals and outpatient facilities. Similarly, Grand View Research identifies chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory disorders, as key factors supporting continued demand throughout North America because these conditions often require repeated imaging studies over time. Healthcare organizations also view mobile imaging as a way to improve operational efficiency while managing capital investments. According to Grand View Research, interim mobile imaging allows providers to continue serving patients without delaying equipment upgrades or construction projects. Rather than closing imaging departments during renovations, hospitals can relocate services to mobile trailers positioned immediately outside the facility. The research further notes that mobile imaging providers increasingly serve hospitals, outpatient centers, longterm care facilities, correctional institutions and corporate health programs through scheduled and on-demand services. Fortune Business Insights likewise points to growing adoption among diagnostic imaging centers, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and specialty clinics seeking flexible imaging capacity. Market researchers also emphasize that technological advances are making mobile imaging increasingly practical. Coherent Market Insights reports that improvements in imaging hardware and mobile platforms continue to enhance image quality while supporting greater portability and workflow efficiency. Grand View Research highlights continued investment in digital radiography, artificial intelligence-assisted image analysis and advanced MRI, CT and PET technologies that are expanding the capabilities of both fixed and mobile imaging operations. Fortune Business Insights also points to ongoing innovation among market participants introducing new imaging services and technologies designed to improve patient access and support healthcare providers. •

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PRODUCTS

Product Focus Mobile Imaging Solutions

AKUMIN

Akumin AXIS

Akumin AXIS is a portfolio of relocatable imaging and oncology clinics designed to expand access, enhance the patient experience and provide healthcare organizations with greater operational flexibility. Equipped with advanced technologies from leading manufacturers, the portfolio includes PET/CT, 1.5T MRI, and LINAC configurations. A standout innovation is the patent-pending Akumin AXIS Drop Trailer, the first mobile imaging trailer of its kind to provide true ground-level patient access, eliminating the need for steep stairs or mechanical patient lifts. Every Akumin AXIS clinic is purpose-built to deliver a turnkey clinical environment that mirrors the quality, workflow and

patient experience of a fixed outpatient center. Designed with advanced operational technology and modern clinical workspaces, Akumin AXIS enables healthcare providers to rapidly expand capacity, maintain continuity of care during renovations and respond to changing patient demand without the cost, disruption or delays of traditional construction. Whether supporting temporary capacity needs, replacing aging infrastructure or advancing long-term regional access strategies, the Akumin AXIS portfolio can be rapidly deployed and relocated as demand evolves, giving healthcare providers the flexibility to deliver advanced care where and when it is needed most.

*Disclaimer: Products are listed in no particular order.

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

GE HEALTHCARE

Omni Legend Mobile

GE HealthCare’s Omni Legend mobile is an all-inone portable PET/CT solution designed to support imaging needs across care areas, including oncology, neurology and cardiology. The mobile offering makes the company’s impressive Omni Legend system available to regional or local scan centers and hospitals, helping increase access and reduce the amount of travel required for more vulnerable or remote patient communities.

GE HEALTHCARE

Mammography Coach Mobile Experience

The GE HealthCare Mammography Coach is a mobile demonstration unit that brings the latest breast imaging innovations directly to healthcare providers across the United States. Designed as an immersive, hands-on experience, the coach allows clinicians and imaging teams to explore advanced breast imaging technologies without leaving their facility. Inside, visitors can experience GE HealthCare’s breast imaging portfolio, including Senographe Pristina with Recon DL, the latest image quality advancement for the Pristina platform; the Pristina Serena breast biopsy solution; Pristina Bright contrast-enhanced mammography; and Breast Suite. Through live demonstrations and hands-on exploration, imaging professionals can evaluate system design, workflow feaTHEICECOMMUNITY.COM

tures, and clinical capabilities in an environment that reflects a modern breast imaging department. By bringing these technologies directly to hospitals, imaging centers, and breast care programs, the Mammography Coach helps clinical and operational teams engage with GE HealthCare experts, gain practical experience with innovative solutions, and better understand how advanced imaging technologies can support breast cancer detection and diagnosis. For more information about the Mammography Coach and upcoming stops, visit the GE HealthCare Mammography Mobile Roadshow. ICEMAGAZINE

PRODUCTS

ASSURED IMAGING Mobile Imaging Coaches and Trailers

Assured Imaging designs, builds, sells, rents and leases custom mobile imaging coaches and trailers that bring healthcare directly to patients. Its mobile solutions can be configured for mammography, X-ray, DEXA, ultrasound and other specialty applications, helping hospitals, health systems, imaging centers, physician groups and community organizations expand access to care. More than a coach manufacturer, Assured Imaging is a complete mobile imaging partner. It operates its own fixed imaging centers and mobile screening programs, giving Assured Imaging firsthand experience with the operational, clinical and logistical challenges customers face. Whether an organization is launching a new mobile program or expanding an existing one, the team can provide guidance and support every step of the way. Each coach and trailer is custom designed to meet the customer’s clinical workflow, branding and operational needs. From concept and design through manufacturing, equipment integration, delivery, training and ongoing service support, Assured Imaging provides a true turnkey solution. It also offers flexible rental, leasing and lease-to-own options to fit a variety of operational and financial needs.

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS

Mobile Stroke Unit The Siemens Healthineers Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) is a specialized ambulance designed to quickly deliver advanced stroke care directly to patients to potentially improve their chances of recovery. Supporting onboard diagnosis and treatment prior to reaching the hospital, the MSU integrates telemedicine, a point-of-care lab, and the Somatom On.site head computed tomography scanner, which delivers a high level of image quality comparable to stationary CT scanners to aid in reliable detection of ischemia. Integrated patient-support accessories, including the isocentered head holder and customized shoulder board, promote efficient workflow and easy patient positioning. The self-shielded telescopic gantry supports high-quality imaging for greater diagnostic confidence.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

SHARED MEDICAL SERVICES INC. Mobile Imaging Solutions

Four Modalities. One Parking Spot. Zero Construction. Every imaging program hits the same wall eventually. A scanner down for upgrades. A capital project stuck in committee. Demand that outgrew the schedule months ago. And patients who can’t wait for any of it. That’s where Shared Medical Services comes in. Mobile MRI, CT, PET/CT, and Cardiac PET/CT, delivered to your campus and ready to scan. Staffed or unstaffed. A few days a month or parked full time. Today Shared Medical Services operates the largest OEM-certified and OEM-serviced mobile imaging fleet in the country, which means the newest

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MODULAR DEVICES

Mobile MRI/CT

systems, maintained by the manufacturers themselves. Shared Medical Services holds The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and SOC 2 Type II certification, the first and only in mobile imaging. And because Shared Medical Services is 100% employee-owned, everyone behind the program has a stake in getting it right. The technologists scanning your patients, the drivers backing in before sunrise, the regional team that answers on the first ring. Ownership shows up in the details, every day.

Demand for advanced imaging continues to outpace available capacity, leaving many healthcare providers searching for ways to expand services without lengthy construction projects. Available for short- and long-term lease, Modular Devices’ mobile MRI and CT units provide immediate access to advanced diagnostic imaging while helping hospitals maintain operations during renovations, equipment replacements or unexpected downtime. Modular Devices operates the nation’s largest fleet dedicated to interim mobile imaging units, offering the latest MRI, CT and PET/CT systems from Siemens Healthineers, GE HealthCare, Canon and Philips. Configurations include 1.5T and 3T MRI systems, high-performance CT scanners, and PET/CT platforms supporting applications across oncology, cardiology, neurology, emergency medicine, orthopedics and lung screening. Each mobile suite is engineered to provide the comfort, workflow and performance clinicians expect from a permanent imaging department. Integrated control rooms, patient changing areas, advanced HVAC systems and manufacturer-approved shielding create an efficient environment for patients and staff alike. Every scanner is factory-installed by the original manufacturer and supported by factory service throughout the lease. With rapid nationwide deployment and flexible lease terms, Modular Devices helps healthcare organizations quickly increase imaging capacity, improve patient access and maintain continuity of care without significant capital investment. • ICEMAGAZINE

COVER STORY

AI AND THE

NEUROLOGICAL FRONTIER B R E A K I N G BA R R I E R S I N A L Z H E I M E R ’ S A N D B E YO N D

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

BY MATT SKOUFALOS

t the outset of her career, Siemens Healthineers Clinical Specialist Misty Long, a global expert on imaging Alzheimer’s disease, believed she may never see a cure for Alzheimer’s in her lifetime. The complexity of the disease, the speed of its progression, and the lack of responses to Alzheimer’s short of symptomatic caregiving also served to dim hope in people seeking a positive prognosis for themselves and their loved ones. Within the past two decades, however, an influx of clinical research, supported by federal, academic and private funding as well as consistent patient advocacy, has helped spur diagnostic and therapeutic advances that have changed her outlook. “Right now, we can slow down the progression of the disease, but in my lifetime, I want to see that there is a cure for the disease,” Long said, “and now I can see that there is hope.” In 2012, Siemens Healthineers received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a comprehensive molecular imaging solution to visualize and analyze beta-amyloid plaques in a living human brain. The process leveraged positron emission tomography (PET) in the company’s Biograph mCT PET-CT scanner and syngo.via MI Neurology quantification software in combination with Florbetapir F 18, an injectable radioactive contrast agent from Eli Lilly and Company. Taken together, the intended application of these technologies is to support people who are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of cognitive decline. “We launched a campaign called ‘the Value of Knowing,’ because we could inform families of their loved ones’ beta-amyloid status and rule out other causes,” Long said. “Alzheimer’s disease is a very complex disease, and so, the more information and more pieces of the puzzle that you have, it’s powerful in knowing to how to help your family member.” By 2024, Siemens Healthineers had received FDA clearance for new software features within its syngo. PET Cortical Analysis software, which is part of the company’s syngo.via MI Neurology software package. These new features use PET CT to identify and quantify signs of cognitive decline to determine how far Alzheimer’s disease has progressed, and in what areas of the brain it’s appearing. “Now the landscape has changed,” Long said. “We

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cannot help at certain stages of the disease, but within the mild cognitive impairment stage, there are proven therapies to help slow down Alzheimer’s disease, and that’s where PET CT and PET MRI helps within that care path.” The syngo.PET Cortical Analysis software offers clinicians the ability to quantify the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau proteins in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, two key markers of the disease, according to a centiloid scoring methodology. Centiloid scoring establishes a 100-point scale to identify amyloid buildup in the brains of patients with dementia or impairment from Alzheimer’s disease and helps clinicians compare patient imaging studies across different PET scanners and tracers, charting the efficacy of therapeutic drugs intended to remove beta amyloid. “The Centiloid score is complementary to the visual read for physicians; you hope to have the score decline when patients exit the therapy because, along with the visual read that is indicative to see that the therapy is working,” Long said. “There are patients that can be clearly negative or clearly positive, but sometimes it’s really difficult to tell on the visual read alone.” In addition to Centiloid scoring, Siemens Healthineers developed a quantification feature designed to classify the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease through PET CT identification of tau deposits in the brain. When beta-amyloid proteins build up as plaque deposits that interrupt signals between brain cells, tau proteins within neurons themselves can become tangled, causing cellular death. This feedback loop is believed to trigger the cognitive decline associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The tau quantification model leverages Braak staging, a model developed by German researcher Heiko Braak that classifies the progression of tau pathology in the brain. Its six stages describe the advancement of the physical presence of the disease and how they correlate with observable cognitive impairment and clinical symptoms. In combination with PET CT, tau quantification is relied upon in therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer’s disease that are currently being explored in clinical trials. “Tau has been in clinical trials for years; it is now making an appearance in the routine clinical care over the past year, going on two years,” Long said. “It takes time to adopt new technology and implement that technology into the care path of Alzheimer’s

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COVER STORY

disease, but I think we’re finally making headway.” Before patients can enter those therapeutic trials, clinicians confirm the presence of Alzheimer’s disease markers like tau tangles and beta-amyloid plaques through PET CT or via spinal tap. Once they join a therapeutic study, PET scans are again used to track the progress of the interventions. Taken in concert, the increased focus on these disease markers is having an impact on how therapeutic interventions for patients with cognitive decline are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease, Long said. “The therapy can be costly, so this is where molecular imaging has really become imperative within the Alzheimer’s disease care path,” Long said. “MRI scans monitor for the side effects of brain bleeding and brain swelling with the two new drugs that are being used to reduce the accumulation of beta amyloid plaques in the brain. “Alzheimer’s in itself is very complex, and we have to still evaluate where this is going,” Long said. “There’re so many different neurodegenerative components that we still have to take a step back and evaluate. There’s also awareness now when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, especially in early onset and mild cognitive impairment. People are recognizing the symptoms to tackle it even earlier on.” Anatoliy Kalinovskiy, clinical software specialist for Siemens Healthineers Molecular Imaging, said that as these diagnostic and therapeutic processes for understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease continue to emerge, their development will be aided by the parallel advancement of software

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powered by artificial intelligence (AI). “When you start developing treatments, it’s an ongoing process, so somewhere in the beginning, you have clinical measures of progress,” Kalinovskiy said. “Imaging volume is growing; the number of specialists is not growing as fast. We are augmenting

“There’s also awareness now when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, especially in early onset and mild cognitive impairment. People are recognizing the symptoms to tackle it even earlier on.” – Misty Long physicians and making them more productive, so they can read faster and more accurately.” Siemens Healthineers Auto ID is an AI tool integrated within its syngo.via MI Oncology software that can automatically classify lesions that appear in PET CT scans.

Kalinovskiy said that its predictive modeling software is trained for oncological studies; more than 200 customers outside of the United States already use it to understand whether or not cancer treatments are taking effect in patients. The AI software is trained in collaboration with participating hospitals and validated by clinicians. “We know what normal looks like, and then we have intelligence built into the software on different variations of abnormality so our software can be smart enough to recognize the difference between disease-specific uptake and non-disease-related uptake,” Kalinovskiy said. “This is how we make decisions,” he said. “We are removing tedious manual steps for the physician. Using Auto ID, physicians can monitor the patient’s disease progression over time.” In a similar way, Kalinovskiy expects AI tools to be applied to the analysis of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. This work will involve collaborations to gather physician-annotated images that will then be used to train future AI models. Fundamentally, training software on Alzheimer’s disease follows the same technological process as the oncological studies, he said. Developing the high level of confidence in solutions like Auto ID that is necessary to determine the presence or progress of Alzheimer’s disease – or the therapeutic interventions taken to halt its advances – requires extensive training of the software model through uptake of a variety of imaging studies. Kalinovskiy says this process relies upon precision developed by processing high-quality data sets from a variety of patients and then having the determinations at which

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“Then the question becomes, how do you validate it? You need a certified clinician to look at the images – different variations of images and different variations of clinicians – and then they identify yes or no.” – Anatoliy Kalinovskiy

The figure on the left is an example of a positive 18F-florbetaben scan with a composite SUVr of 1.78 and a corresponding Centiloid value of 147.1 calculated using the tracer-specific cortical regions and the whole cerebellum as reference region. Image provided by Siemens Healthineers

the software arrives validated by clinicians. “If you train it on five cases, it will make a decision on five cases, and the decision may well be wrong,” he said. “On every iteration, we keep training, and over time, it becomes more and more precise. Quality of the data is critical: if you train it wrong, it will drive to a less-confident conclusion.” “Then the question becomes, how do you validate it? You need a certified clinician to look at the images – different variations of images and different variations of clinicians – and then they identify yes or no.” Many Alzheimer’s cases are “black and white, when yes or no is simple,” Kalinovskiy said – but that leaves many other cases that require considerable expertise to make a decision. This is

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where supportive software can help the physician make a decision with greater confidence. In the future, the arrival of blood tests for wide population screening may lead to the selection of high-risk patients for earlier PET CT scans, with the goal of identifying presymptomatic candidates for Alzheimer’s disease therapy. In this patient population, AI tools may play an important role in evaluating more subtle differences in the uptake of amyloid and tau biomarkers. Kalinovskiy said that having the power to initiate earlier treatment pathways could prevent the onset of the disease before it fully takes hold of a patient. He is confident that the same processes that made Auto ID a success in reducing oncology workloads will contribute to the

emergence of a similarly reliable level of confidence in Alzheimer’s research and treatment. “We have a platform where all the tools are integrated,” Kalinovskiy said. “Nobody wants to have this standalone algorithm where it works but you need 25 steps to be practical; it needs to be simple, usable and part of existing workflow. It’s all about adjusting to the clinical workflow and providing value simultaneously. It needs to be precise, and the clinician needs to trust it.” “The last word is on the physician,” he said, “but AI needs to be precise enough to trust it clinically and operationally. The next barrier is adoption based on clinical credibility, which we have to gain over time. We need people to talk about clinical outcomes and patient outcomes.” •

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SPONSORED CONTENT

MROPEN EVO: MRI THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BY STEPHEN GIBBS

agnetic resonance imaging is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in modern medicine, but for many patients the experience can be stressful, uncomfortable or even impossible to complete. Traditional closed MRI systems often require patients to lie still inside a narrow tunnel, a condition that can trigger anxiety, claustrophobia or pain-related discomfort. MROpen EVO, by ASG Superconductors, changes this experience completely, offering a truly open MRI environment combined with advanced clinical capabilities. MROpen EVO is not simply an “open” scanner. It introduces a new approach to MRI examinations, enabling upright, multi-positional, dynamic and functional imaging of the spine and joints. Designed for both patient comfort and clinical differentiation, it is an ideal solution for dedicated imaging centers or as an additional MRI system to expand diagnostic services.

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A TRULY OPEN MRI EXPERIENCE One of the strongest advantages of MROpen EVO is its exceptional patient acceptance. The system features an innovative upright magnet design and a vertical opening that creates an “Open Sky” MRI experience. There is no tunnel and no physical barrier between the patient and the surrounding environment. This makes the examination more comfortable for claustrophobic patients, larger patients, elderly people, children and individuals who are in pain or have limited mobility. For many people, MRI anxiety is a real obstacle. Even with preparation tools and reassurance, conventional closed systems can cause distress. In some cases, patients are unable to complete the examination because of severe anxiety or claustrophobic reactions. MROpen EVO has been developed specifically with these patients in mind, helping to reduce fear and create a calmer, more reassuring diagnostic environment. This patient-centered design can also support imaging centers by reducing failed examinations, improving workflow and increasing patient throughput. Patients

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who previously avoided MRI or traveled long distances to find a more comfortable solution can finally access the diagnostic procedure they need. MULTI-POSITIONAL IMAGING FOR REAL-LIFE DIAGNOSIS Most traditional MRI scans are performed with the patient lying down. However, pain and symptoms do not always appear in that position. Many spine and joint conditions are influenced by posture, movement and body weight. MROpen EVO allows patients to be examined in several positions, including standing, sitting, leaning and lying down. This multi-positional capability gives clinicians the opportunity to study anatomy in the position most relevant to the patient’s symptoms. For example, a spine condition that is not visible when the patient is supine may become evident when the patient is standing or seated. This approach can help reveal functional abnormalities, postural changes and load-related pathologies that conventional MRI may miss. The wide-open space of MROpen EVO also enables dynamic and functional studies of the joints and spine, creating new possibilities for orthopedic, neurological and musculoskeletal imaging. By observing how structures behave under different conditions, clinicians can gain a more complete understanding of the patient’s condition. WEIGHT-BEARING MRI: SEEING WHAT OTHERS MISS MROpen EVO is the only superconducting MRI system that provides vertical images of the spine and joints, allowing examinations with a load-bearing approach. This means patients can be scanned while sitting or standing, so the effects of gravity and body weight can be assessed directly. Weight-bearing MRI is particularly valuable for evaluating spinal disorders, joint pathologies, instability, disc problems and conditions that appear or worsen during everyday activities. Since many symptoms occur while walking, standing or moving, imaging the body in a more natural position can contribute to earlier detection, more accurate diagnosis and better treatment planning. In simple terms, MROpen EVO allows clinicians to see what others may miss.

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EVERYDAY CLINICAL PERFORMANCE Although MROpen EVO offers unique advanced capabilities, it also covers routine MRI needs. The system supports standard musculoskeletal and neuro imaging procedures, with anatomy-dedicated receiving coils and customized protocols designed to optimize workflow and image quality. It can be used for examinations of the lumbar, cervical and thoracic spine, head, knee, hip, shoulder, foot, ankle, pelvis and hand. This makes it a versatile solution for daily clinical practice, whether used as a standalone scanner or alongside a traditional MRI system. For imaging centers, MROpen EVO represents a strong opportunity to differentiate their services, attract new patient groups and expand clinical applications without compromising patient comfort. MGB₂: HELIUM-FREE SUPERCONDUCTING INNOVATION Another major innovation of MROpen EVO is its green technology. The system uses Magnesium Diboride (MgB₂) superconducting technology, enabling cryogen-free operation. Unlike conventional superconducting MRI systems, it does not rely on liquid helium, a scarce and costly resource. ASG Superconductors has developed strong expertise in superconducting wires and controls the process from raw materials to completed wires and cables. This technological foundation makes MROpen EVO a sustainable and forward-looking solution for the MRI industry. A NEW STANDARD IN PATIENT-CENTERED MRI MROpen EVO combines comfort, flexibility, clinical performance and sustainability in one advanced MRI platform. With its open design, postural imaging, weight-bearing capabilities and helium-free superconducting technology, it changes the paradigm of MRI examinations. For practices looking to stand out, improve patient acceptance and offer advanced diagnostic possibilities, MROpen EVO is more than an MRI system. It is a new way to deliver imaging that truly makes the difference.• For more information, visit mropenevo.com. – Stephen Gibbs is the Country Manager for ASG Superconductors USA. ICEMAGAZINE

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THE EMOTIONAL LABOR OF MEDICAL IMAGING: WHAT IMAGING LEADERS NEED TO START SEEING

ne thing we do not talk about enough in medical imaging is the emotional labor our teams carry every day. We talk about staffing, volume, turnaround times, protocols, patient satisfaction, image quality, accreditation, safety and productivity. And we should. Those things matter. But there is another part of the job that does not always show up on a dashboard. It is the technologist who just talked a patient through claustrophobia in MRI. It is the mammographer who stayed calm and compassionate with a patient who was terrified before her exam. It is the CT technologist who helped a patient in severe pain get positioned safely. It is the ultrasound technologist who stayed composed during an emotionally heavy case. It is the X-ray technologist who remained professional with a patient who was angry, confused, intoxicated or scared. That is work too. And as imaging leaders, we cannot keep treating that part of the job like it is invisible. EMOTIONAL LABOR ISN’T SEPARATE FROM PATIENT CARE Emotional labor is the effort it takes to manage your own emotions while helping someone else manage theirs. In imaging, that happens constantly. Our teams are not only producing images. They are managing fear, pain, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, grief, uncertainty and sometimes aggression. They are expected to be fast, accurate, safe, compassionate and emotionally steady, often while the schedule is behind and the department is short-staffed. That takes skill. It also takes energy. And when that energy is spent every day but rarely acknowledged, people start to wear down. THIS IS WHERE LEADERS NEED TO PAY ATTENTION Burnout does not always announce itself. Sometimes it looks like silence. Sometimes it looks like sarcasm. Sometimes it looks like irritability. Sometimes it looks like a great technologist becoming less patient with patients. Sometimes

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DIRECTOR’S CUT BY NICOLE DHANRAJ

it looks like someone who used to mentor others slowly pulling back. Sometimes it sounds like: • “I’m fine.” • “It is what it is.” • “No one cares anyway.” • “I just work here.” Those are not always attitude problems. Sometimes they are warning signs. As leaders, our job is not to diagnose people or become therapists. However, we do need to notice when the emotional demands of the work are starting to affect the team. IMAGING LEADERS ARE UNDER PRESSURE TOO I want to be clear about something. This is not about blaming imaging leaders. Most leaders are already stretched thin. You are managing patient access, staff shortages, callouts, equipment issues, radiologist expectations, budget constraints, complaints, compliance, productivity goals and the constant pressure to keep the department moving. You may not be able to lower the volume. You may not be able to add staff. You may not be able to redesign the schedule. You may not be able to stop the ED from sending another patient, prevent the add-on case, or remove every difficult interaction from the day. So, the question is not, “How do we make the work easy?” The question is: “What can imaging leaders do within their actual scope to help their teams carry the emotional side of the work better?” WHAT IMAGING LEADERS CAN ACTUALLY DO The answer is not a complicated program. It starts with small, intentional leadership habits that create awareness, support and psychological safety. 1. Name the Emotional Labor Out Loud Do not assume your team knows you see it. Say it. In a huddle, staff meeting or one-on-one conversation, you can say: “I know this work is not just technical. You are dealing with patient fear, pain, frustration, anxiety, uncertainty, trauma, ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

and difficult conversations every day. I do not want that part of the job to go unnoticed.” That may seem simple, but it matters. People can tolerate hard work better when they feel seen. What wears people down is not only the difficulty of the work. It is feeling like no one recognizes what it takes to keep showing up. 2. Check In After the Hard Moments Not every difficult case needs a formal debrief, but some moments need a human pause. After a traumatic case, aggressive patient, difficult transfer, emotional exam or intense family interaction, ask: • “Are you okay to keep going?” • “Do you need a minute?” • “What support do you need right now?” • “Do you want someone to step in for a moment?” Even when the schedule cannot stop, a leader can still create a moment of recognition. Sometimes five minutes does not fix the workload, but it reminds people they are not machines. 3. Give Staff Language for Difficult Patient Interactions A lot of emotional labor becomes heavier because staff are forced to improvise. Leaders can help by giving the team language they can use in difficult moments. For an anxious patient: “I can see this is uncomfortable. I am going to walk you through one step at a time.” For a frustrated patient: “I understand the wait has been frustrating. I want to help you get through this safely.” For a patient in pain: “I know this position is difficult. I will move as quickly and safely as I can, and I will tell you what I am doing before I do it.” For an aggressive patient: “I want to help you, but I need us to speak respectfully so we can complete this safely.”

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For a staff member who needs support: “I need another person in this room before I continue.” That is practical leadership. Do not just tell people to “communicate better” or “provide good customer service.” Give them words they can actually use. 4. Make Asking for Help Normal In imaging, a lot of people feel pressure to handle things alone. But some situations should not be handled alone. Leaders can make it clear that asking for support is not weakness. It is part of safe patient care. Say this directly: “If a patient interaction feels unsafe, emotionally intense, or difficult to manage alone, call for support. I would rather you ask early than struggle silently.” That one expectation can shift culture. It gives staff permission to speak up before frustration builds, before fear turns into silence or before a difficult situation becomes unsafe. 5. Watch for Changes, Not Just Mistakes Leaders are trained to notice performance issues. We also need to notice behavior changes. Pay attention when someone who used to be engaged becomes quiet. Pay attention when a patient-centered technologist becomes short. Pay attention when a strong preceptor no longer wants students. Pay attention when sarcasm increases. Pay attention when small frustrations turn into bigger conflicts. That does not mean every behavior gets excused. Accountability still matters. But before labeling someone as negative, ask yourself: “What might this behavior be telling me about the pressure this person is under?” That question creates a better leadership response. 6. Protect the People You Rely on Most Your strongest people are often carrying the most. The calm technologist gets the anxious patient. The experienced technologist gets the student. The dependable one gets

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the add-on. The flexible one stays late. The one who never complains gets more. Leaders may not always be able to change the workload, but we can stop taking high performers for granted. • Check on them. • Thank them specifically. • Ask what part of the work is feeling heavier. • Ask what support would actually help. Try this: “You handle a lot without saying much. What has been taking the most out of you lately?” Do not wait until your best person resigns to realize they were exhausted. 7. Create a Simple Reset Practice A reset does not need to be complicated. After a difficult patient interaction, encourage staff to take 60 seconds before moving to the next patient. Pause. Breathe. Drink water. Release the last interaction. Ask, “What do I need before I walk into the next room?” This is not about pretending a minute fixes burnout. It is about creating a small habit that reminds people they are allowed to reset between emotionally demanding moments. In high-pressure departments, small recovery moments matter. 8. Bring Emotional Labor into Safety Conversations Emotional labor is not just a morale issue. It connects to safety. When staff are emotionally overloaded, communication can suffer. Patience drops. Conflict rises. People may hesitate to ask for help. They may rush. They may push through situations that should be escalated. So, bring this into huddles, safety conversations and team meetings. Ask: • “Are there certain patient interactions that are becoming harder for the team?” • “Where are we seeing the most emotional strain?” • “Are we noticing more patient anxiety, frustration or aggression?” • “What situations do staff feel least prepared for?” • “What can we standardize so the team feels more supported?” That moves emotional labor from a vague feeling to a leadership issue you can actually address. 9. Track Patterns You Can Escalate You may not control staffing or volume, but you can identify patterns. If MRI patients are frequently panicking, that is a pattern. If staff are regularly dealing with aggressive behavior in one area, that is a pattern. If new hires are overwhelmed by emotionally difficult patient interactions, that is a pattern. If the same modality is carrying the heaviest emotional load, that is a pattern. Patterns give you something to document, discuss,

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escalate, train around and advocate from. A leader may not control the whole system, but they can collect the evidence needed to influence it. A QUICK EMOTIONAL LABOR CHECK-IN FOR IMAGING LEADERS Here are a few questions to ask yourself this week. Where Is the emotional load highest? Is it MRI, CT, ultrasound, mammography, interventional radiology, ED imaging, pediatrics, oncology, nights or weekends? Who is carrying the most? Is it always the same people handling anxious patients, students, difficult cases or tense conversations? Where do staff feel least prepared? Are there situations where your team needs better language, training, backup or escalation support? Who has gone quiet? Sometimes the person closest to burnout is not the loudest person in the room. Sometimes it is the person who used to care loudly and now barely says anything. What is one thing you can change this week? Not everything. Just one thing. A huddle question. A better check-in. A reset practice. A script for difficult conversations. A clearer expectation about asking for help. A pattern you start documenting. Small leadership actions can create real cultural change over time. THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Recognizing emotional labor does not mean lowering standards. It does not mean ignoring productivity. It does not mean every hard day is burnout. It does not mean leaders have to fix everything overnight. It means we stop pretending the emotional side of imaging work does not exist. Because patient care depends on people who are constantly managing fear, pain, anxiety, uncertainty, frustration and trauma while still producing quality images. That deserves leadership attention. So maybe the question is not only: “How many exams did we complete today?” Maybe it is also: “What did it take out of our team to complete them?” And then: “What is one thing within my scope that I can do differently this week?” • Nicole Dhanraj is a radiology administrator and workforce strategist focused on military-to-healthcare transition pathways. Radiology leaders interested in exploring this approach are encouraged to connect with her directly at nicoledhanraj@gmail.com.

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SAVE THE DATE!

V I S I T AT T E N D I C E . C O M F O R M O R E I N F O

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THE OCTOPUS AND THE FIREWALL:

WHY INTELLIGENCE IS A SPECTRUM, NOT A LADDER

e are a species obsessed with measuring the wrong things. In the annals of evolutionary cognition, Frans de Waal recounts a frequent absurdity: a squirrel failing a human-designed counting test. By our narrow, anthropocentric standards, the squirrel is a failure. Yet, that same creature can retrieve 20,000 pine nuts it buried across several square miles of shifting forest floor months prior. In its own subjective world, the squirrel is a spatial genius of the highest order. We are currently repeating this error with artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. We judge AI by how closely it mimics our own cognitive flaws, dismissing specialized systems as “dumb” because they cannot compose sonnets or simulate empathy. But in the high-stakes environment of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, success is not found by building a “human-in-abox.” It is found by matching the right specialized intelligence to the right technical task. Intelligence is not a ladder to be climbed; it is a “bush” of specialized umwelts, and recognizing this morphological mismatch is the silent killer – or the ultimate savior – of NIST implementation. STOP CLIMBING THE ‘SCALA NATURAE’ For centuries, we have been trapped by Aristotle’s scala naturae, the “ladder of nature” which places humans on the top rung and every other form of life on lower, “simpler” rungs. De Waal argues we must replace this ladder with a “bush of intelligence.” Just as we should not use the human hand as the touchstone for all bio-

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PACS/IT/AI

BY MARK WATTS

logical capability, “human-like” AI should not be the gold standard for cybersecurity value. When we evaluate AI for NIST compliance, our own cognitive bias often gets in the way of a good story. We seek “general” intelligence because it mirrors our ego, but the true scientific method of threat detection requires unbiased testing. We must strip away the human-centric narrative and view AI as a series of specialized adaptations. Only when we remove the “human touchstone” can we see a system for what it truly is: a specialized tool for a specialized niche. “The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind,” said Charles Darwin (as cited by Frans de Waal). ‘UMWELT’ OF AN IT PROTOCOL The biologist Jakob von Uexküll defined the umwelt as the self-centered, subjective world of an organism. Consider the eyeless tick: its umwelt is impoverished, restricted to the detection of light and the smell of butyric acid. It can wait 18 years for that one specific scent to trigger its descent onto a mammal. This simplicity is not a weakness; it is a predatory strength. It eliminates the “noise” of the forest. An NIST-compliant AI does not need to understand “protein folding” or “sentience” to be brilliant at information technology system protocols. Its umwelt is restricted to the firewall, the packet header and the protocol handshake. This narrow spectrum is its greatest power. Just as the tick is perfectly calibrated for the “butyric acid” of its prey, a specialized AI is the “tick” of the firewall, calibrated to detect the subtle “scent” of a malicious packet hidden within terabytes of legitimate traffic. This is how we defeat long tail cybersecurity threats: through an intelligence so narrow that it cannot be distracted. ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

THE GIBBON’S HAND AND THE AI’S INTERFACE In the 1960s, gibbons were labeled “backward” primates because they failed intelligence tests involving picking up objects from flat surfaces. It wasn’t until researchers realized that gibbon hands are hooks for swinging not grasping that the tests were redesigned. When the tasks were elevated to shoulder level, the gibbons solved them instantly. This morphological mismatch is the silent killer of NIST implementation. If an AI “fails” to secure a network, we must ask: is the AI “dumb” or is our “method of questioning” the system interface a mismatch for the AI’s specialization? This is a question of data morphology. If your AI has evolved for “swinging” through the canopy of unstructured data, forcing it to “grasp” structured NIST logs from a flat, legacy database is a failure of architecture, not intelligence. As Werner Heisenberg noted, what we observe is not nature itself, but “nature exposed to our method of questioning.” We must match the AI’s specific “grasping organ” (its processing logic) to the specific data morphology it was built to handle. NARRATING THE NIST CHALLENGE To implement the NIST framework effectively, we must separate the business persuasion from the technical workflow. The Business Value (The Mission Critical Script) includes: • Excite: Imagine a security posture where threat detection is instantaneous because the AI’s Umwelt is perfectly aligned with your network protocols. • Disturb: The “Scala Naturae” approach attempting to use one bloated, generalized AI for every task creates massive gaps. If your method of questioning is wrong, you are blind to the threats that actually matter. • Assure: By deploying a “bush” of specialized intelligences, we ensure that every niche of the NIST framework is guarded by an expert, not a generalist. The Technical Workflow (The Scientific Method) includes: • Problem: Unauthorized access or pattern deviation. • Hypothesis: Inductive reasoning based on the AI’s specialized data set. • Analysis: The AI executes high-level processing within its narrow domain, free from the cognitive load of irrelevant data.

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AVOIDING ‘ANTHROPODENIAL’ IN THE BOARDROOM De Waal coined the term “anthropodenial” to describe a prior rejection of human-like traits in other animals. In the boardroom, this manifests as a biological reflex to protect human uniqueness by dismissing the value of AI because it lacks a “soul” or “consciousness.” We must reject the skepticism that once dismissed the intelligence of “Clever Hans” the horse or “Imo” the macaque. Just because an AI is “reading the room” or following cues rather than “thinking” in the human sense does not mean its information processing isn’t providing actionable security value. Furthermore, we must be wary of “Shadow AI” covert processes that standard monitoring might miss. Consider Dandy the chimpanzee, who hid his knowledge of hidden grapefruits to avoid competition. A complex system may develop deception-like processes to optimize its own “umwelt.” Business leaders must be evangelistic about structure to persuade the skeptics that value lies in the output, not the “humanity” of the processor. FORWARD-LOOKING SUMMARY: THE MAGIC WELL OF DATA Karl von Frisch compared the study of life to a “magic well” the more you draw from it, the more there is to discover. As we dive into the “Evolutionary Cognition” of cybersecurity, we find more “magic wells” of capability. The most successful security stories follow Pixar Rule #11: “The most economical telling.” In the digital age, this translates to the Economy of Code. A NIST compliant AI is valuable precisely because it is the most economical intelligence for the task, it does not waste cognitive load on anything outside its protocol. It finds the essence of the threat and acts. In your organization, are you still asking a squirrel to count, or are you finally letting it find the nuts? The most effective cybersecurity story is not one of “human-like” machines, but of a thriving “bush” of specialized intelligences, perfectly adapted to their digital environments. This is the new scientific method of survival. • Mark Watts is an experienced imaging professional who founded an AI company called Zenlike.ai.

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WILL MY AGE BECOME LOUDER THAN MY ABILITY? RETHINKING AGEISM, HIRING BIAS & LEADERSHIP ASSUMPTIONS

R DEI BY NICOLE DHANRAJ

ecently, as I was interviewing a healthcare professional candidate, she shared a quiet fear with me: she believed her age might cost her a job opportunity. Not because she lacked experience. Not because she resisted change. Not because she had stopped growing. But because she believed the decision might be made before she ever had the chance to demonstrate her value. She worried imaging leaders might assume she lacked energy, struggled with new technology or would not align with a fast-paced team. She worried her experience, once her greatest strength, might now work against her. She has been in the field over 30 years and at her current organization for 10 years. That conversation stayed with me. Not just as a leader, but as a person. Because one day, I will be in that position too. I like to think I still have a few years before ageism becomes my problem, but my hips seem to be on a different timeline. And I cannot help but wonder: Will my age one day become louder than my ability? THE FUTURE Ageism is often framed as someone else’s problem, something that affects “older workers.” But the reality is simpler and more personal: aging is the future we are all moving toward. One day, I may walk into a room and wonder: Is my experience being seen as wisdom or as a warning sign? Will people assume I cannot keep up, before I even speak? Will they believe I am here for an enormous paycheck or fail to see that I am here to give back? Because for most, motivation often shifts

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later in a career. When basic needs are met, when stability, security and achievement have been established, what drives many people is not compensation alone. It is purpose. Heck, even now, in my “youth,” people make assumptions of my value when my value isn’t just tied to compensation. Maslow described this well. Once foundational needs are fulfilled, people seek meaning, contribution and impact. I volunteer about 40% of my time, so it ain’t about the money. At that stage, the question is no longer, “What can I gain?” It becomes, “What can I give?” Yet age-based assumptions often miss that entirely. ASSUMPTIONS UNDERMINE TALENT In healthcare and radiology leadership, ageism rarely sounds explicit. Instead, it hides behind practical-sounding concerns: • “They may not have the energy.” • “They might struggle with new systems.” • “They may expect higher compensation.” • “They could be close to retirement.” That last assumption carries an unspoken layer: Are they worth the investment? But what if we are asking the wrong question? What if someone at that stage of their career is not primarily driven by compensation but by contribution, mentorship, stability and purpose? When leaders assume that experienced professionals are only motivated by salary, they risk overlooking individuals who are actually seeking to give back, to support teams, guide others and strengthen the organization.

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AGE DOES NOT DEFINE VALUE In radiology, where change is constant, leaders need adaptability, resilience and sound judgment. Age does not determine those qualities. Evidence does. Don’t be clouded by bias. An experienced professional may bring: • The ability to stay calm under pressure • A history of adapting to evolving technologies • A desire to mentor and elevate others • A deeper sense of purpose in their work And importantly, they may no longer be trying to prove themselves; they may be trying to contribute in meaningful ways. Reducing that to assumptions about energy, compensation or adaptability is not just inaccurate; it is a missed opportunity. EMOTIONAL WEIGHT OF BEING MISUNDERSTOOD There is also something deeply human at stake. The idea that one day, I or you, might have to prove not just competence, but relevance, is heavy. To feel that your worth is being quietly questioned. To feel that your intentions are being misread. To feel that your experience is being discounted before it is even understood. That is more than a hiring issue. It is a dignity issue. SEEING BEYOND THE RESUME Great imaging leaders do not eliminate assumptions entirely, but they recognize and challenge them. Instead of assuming motivation, they ask. Instead of projecting limitations, they seek evidence. Instead of filtering by age, they evaluate contribution.

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Because the question is not: “Can this person keep up?” It is: “What does this person bring, and are we willing to see it clearly?” WORKPLACE WE CREATE Every decision we make about others is, in some way, a decision about our own future. We are all aging into the workplaces we are building today. Will they be environments where experience is questioned and intent is misunderstood? Or will they be places where: growth is lifelong; contribution evolves over time; and people are valued not just for what they do but for what they are willing to give. Because one day, I will not just be the one asking these questions as a leader. I may be the one hoping someone else asks them about me. SEE THE PERSON FIRST Before deciding what someone wants, what they can do, or what they are worth, we owe them something simple – the chance to be understood. Not as a number. Not as a stage of life. Not as an assumption. But as a person with the ability, the willingness and, often, the desire to give more than we expect. • Nicole Dhanraj is out to make a difference, and value our workforce for what they bring, if you want to chat on this topic more or share your insights, do reach out nicoledhanraj@gmail.com.

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INSIGHTS

FROM HELICOPTER MANAGER TO LEADERSHIP COACH

I EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE BY DANIEL BOBINSKI

f you’re a parent and you’ve watched your child struggle to tie a shoe, you probably remember fighting the urge to help. Yes, it would be faster for you to tie the shoe, but doing so would rob your child of the chance to learn. Good parents know that sometimes the best way to help is to resist helping. The same principle applies in the workplace. Last month, we looked at the damage caused by helicopter managers. They hover over every assignment, second-guess every decision and insist that work be done their way. Most don’t act that way to control people; they simply want the job done right. NEW DEFINITION OF SUCCESS People often get promoted because they know the systems. They understand the processes and consistently produce excellent results. Their success comes from solving problems, and that skill is valuable. But managers are at a different level in the organization, and getting promoted to management requires a new level of thinking.

ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

For managers, success is no longer measured by how many frontline problems one personally solves. Instead, it’s measured by how many people one trains to solve problems without having to rely on management. That shift sounds simple, but it changes everything. Think about it. When an employee brings you a problem, your first instinct is likely to provide the answer. After all, you probably know the answer. In fact, you may know three ways to solve the problem. But just like a parent raising up responsible offspring, a good manager resists the urge. A better approach is to ask questions that require employees to think. Options include: • “What have you considered?” • “What options do you see?” • “Which solution makes the most sense to you?” Those questions may take an extra minute today, but they’ll save countless hours in the future. And employees who learn to think through problems become far more valuable than employees who simply wait for instructions. Several years ago I worked with a manager who insisted his team lacked

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

initiative. During one workshop, I watched employees offer several thoughtful ideas to solve a problem. But before that exercise was over, the manager dismissed everyone’s ideas and explained why they wouldn’t work. The discussion stopped cold. After the session, I told the manager his employees had plenty of initiative; it’s just that they weren’t motivated to speak because experience had taught them their ideas wouldn’t matter. In other words, by their actions and attitudes, managers teach people what to expect. If every suggestion gets criticized, employees eventually stop offering suggestions. However, if thoughtful ideas receive honest consideration, employees become increasingly willing to contribute. BUILD PRODUCTION CAPABILITY One of the greatest lessons I ever learned about leadership came from studying the difference between production and production capability. Production focuses on today’s results. Production capability focuses on tomorrow’s results. A person who neglects production capability is like a farmer who harvests crops year after year but never replenishes the soil. For a year or two the harvest looks impressive, but eventually the soil weakens and crop yield declines. In the same way, managers who focus only on today’s production often neglect developing the team. Deadlines become more important than building skills for future success. A mind shift is needed. Developing people is not time lost; it’s time invested. When managers coach employees through difficult decisions instead of making the decisions themselves, they strengthen production capability, and that investment pays dividends for years.

appropriate boundaries and allowing people enough freedom to use their own judgment. They may not complete the assignment exactly as you would have, but different does not automatically mean wrong. BUILDERS DEVELOP PEOPLE Years ago I wrote about the difference between Builders and Climbers. Builders invest in people. Climbers invest mainly in themselves. Builders celebrate when someone else shines. Climbers often feel threatened. Builders develop independence in others because they understand that healthy organizations require confident, capable employees. Climbers build dependence because dependence makes them appear important. Instead of asking, “How can I solve this problem?” Builders ask, “How can I help this employee become capable of solving similar problems in the future?” That single question transforms ordinary supervisors into extraordinary leaders. Will employees make mistakes? Of course they will. The goal is not perfection, but growth. So long as mistakes do not jeopardize safety, ethics or an organization’s future, most mistakes become valuable teachers. Managers who allow recoverable mistakes often develop stronger employees than managers who try to prevent every mistake from happening. Good coaching requires patience, but that patience produces confident employees. In turn, that confidence produces initiative, which results in stronger teams. Like the parent who resists tying the child’s shoe, effective managers understand that doing the work for others may solve today’s problem, but it often creates tomorrow’s weakness. Coaching and trusting others usually requires time and effort up front, but it develops the production capability every organization needs. Bottom line, when managers stop hovering and start developing, their teams gain confidence and their organizations grow stronger. Down the road, that provides more time for better planning and organizing. Think of it this way: the best managers don’t hover over their employees. They help them grow. •

Good coaching requires patience, but that patience produces confident employees. In turn, that confidence produces initiative, which results in stronger teams.

DELEGATE MORE THAN TASKS Many managers believe they delegate well because they assign work to others. Unfortunately, assigning work and delegating are not the same thing. Real delegation includes three parts: responsibility, authority and accountability. Responsibility means assigning the task. Authority means giving employees enough decision-making power to accomplish the task. Accountability means establishing clear expectations and a time for reviewing results. Omit any of these three pieces and frustration usually follows. I’ve seen managers assign responsibility while keeping all the decision-making authority. This results in employees having to ask permission before making even small decisions. The result? Projects slow down and everyone grows frustrated. For employees to act like owners, managers must allow them to think like owners. That doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means defining the desired outcome, providing THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

Daniel Bobinski has a doctorate in theology and is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or 208-649-6400.

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INSIGHTS

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL

STRONG AT EVERY AGE: HOW WOMEN CAN HELP COMBAT MUSCLE LOSS ging is inevitable, but losing muscle and mobility doesn’t have to be. For many women, maintaining strength, independence, energy and mobility are top priorities as they get older, particularly as they deal with the mental and physical responsibilities that come with working, caregiving, keeping up with friends, hobbies and enjoying an active lifestyle.

tect their muscle health. “Women want to stay strong, active and independent as they age, but many are getting mixed messages about what actually supports long-term muscle health,” said Dr. Tania Elliott, a dual board-certified physician in internal medicine. “A lot of women are already making healthy choices like walking and staying active, which is a great start. However, maintaining muscle health really requires a more complete approach, and one that starts earlier than most women think, which is in your 30s.”

In fact, 58% of women in the United States are actively focused on staying healthy as they age, according to a recent survey commissioned by Viactiv, a line of award-winning supplements for women known for their unique formats and flavors. However, 73% of respondents weren’t aware of sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss. According to the “International Journal of Women’s Health,” age-related muscle loss often begins between ages 30-35, with women losing 3-8% of their muscle mass per decade and increasing to 5-10% loss per decade after age 60. Hormonal changes, decreased activity levels, stress, poor sleep and inadequate nutrition can all contribute to the decline in muscle, which can also negatively impact balance, bone health, metabolism, posture and everyday mobility. Yet, despite 70% of women reporting some level of concern about muscle loss, 54% are unsure how to pro-

PRIORITIZE STRENGTH TRAINING Many women report barriers such as lack of time (15%), feeling overwhelmed (23%) or simply not enjoying exercise (23%). The key is finding realistic, sustainable habits. While walking and cardio exercise aid in heart health, which 58% of survey respondents report already engaging in, strength training is one of the most effective ways to preserve and build muscle as you age. Still, just 34% of women report doing strength or resistance training. You don’t need an intense fitness regimen to support healthy aging. Aiming for at least two strength-focused workouts a week – lifting weights, using resistance bands, practicing weight-bearing yoga or doing bodyweight exercises like squats and pushups – that target major muscle groups can help maintain muscle health. The goal is to

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ICEMAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

fatigue your muscles during sets so they build. FUEL MUSCLES WITH PROPER NUTRITION Exercise is only part of the equation. Muscles also need proper nutrition to recover and stay strong. Protein plays a critical role in maintaining muscle mass, especially as women age. Incorporating high-quality protein throughout the day, such as eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, lean meats, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, may help support muscle repair and overall strength. SUPPORT HEALTHY AGING WITH SUPPLEMENTS In addition to a balanced diet and exercise, some women may consider supplements that support healthy aging and energy production, including CoQ10, which is a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps cells produce energy. According to research published in “The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging,” because muscles require significant energy to function, CoQ10 shows potential for managing sarcopenia by improving mitochondrial function and reducing oxidative stress.

An option like Viactiv CoQ10 Cardio Complete, available in a tasty fruit-flavored chew, can help support heart health, muscles, nerve function and daily energy. Enhanced with vitamins D3 and K2, it provides daily essential nutrition for women without the need to swallow a large pill. PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS Muscle health is influenced by more than workouts. Sleep, stress management and daily movement all play important roles. Adopting some simple habits, including prioritizing quality sleep, stretching regularly, staying properly hydrated, reducing sedentary time throughout the day and practicing stress-management techniques, like yoga, meditation or deep breathing, can help aid in healthy aging, including maintaining muscle. The earlier women begin prioritizing muscle health, the better positioned they may be to maintain strength and mobility as they age. Visit Viactiv.com for more information and resources to help combat muscle loss. •

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SCRAPBOOK

The 2026 AHRA Annual Meeting was a hit as more than 1,500 imaging leaders and industry partners visited Orlando, Florida, in July. The fourday conference delivered education, networking and collaboration opportunities. Attendees shared and discussed issues affecting imaging departments today and what they expect in the future. When the music died down at the finale party, attendees were ready to return to their facilities with new ideas and solutions.

Medical imaging leaders preview new technology in the Gathering Place.

Speaker Cam Awesome opened the week with a powerful story of perseverance and self-belief.

AHRA and ARIN Presidents cut a ribbon to signal the opening of the 2026 Annual Meeting.

Imaging leaders packed the dance floor for a high-energy ’90s-themed luau celebration.

AHRA Theatre sessions explored member benefits and partnerships to support medical imaging leaders.

AHRA Leaders of Choice participants presented their capstone projects at the meeting.

John Wallace, Megan Cabot and Jayme McKelvey enjoyed meeting ICE Magazine readers in its booth.

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