STARTUP ADVANCED IMAGING HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC.: Ultrasound technology hits the road

STARTUP

ADVANCED IMAGING HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. Ultrasound technology hits the road Type of business: mobile medical imaging Location: 75 Executive Drive, Suite A, Carmel

Phone:

663-3289

E-mail: info@aisolutions.info

Web site: www.aisolutions.info

Founded: November 2006

Owners: Greg and Janet McCauley, Beau and Jennifer White

Owners’ backgrounds: Jennifer White, 27, graduated from Indiana University’s dental school in 2001; her husband, Beau, 30, graduated from Purdue University in 2000, then worked in sales in the medical field. The McCauleys have been in sales and medical sales for about 20 years. Greg, 57, started his career as an engineer for NASA during the Apollo program and eventually got involved with technical sales. His wife, Janet, 53, also is a dental school graduate.

Why started business: The partners had operated a traditional imaging clinic, but changed course when they realized that trends were moving toward compact, portable machines. Used in a doctor’s office, the portable devices provide an alternative to sending patients off-site for ultrasounds.

Jennifer White said they saw a niche in the market and looked to fill it.

Advanced Imaging equipment and technicians go to physicians’ offices on certain days, images are electronically transmitted to a hospital radiologist, results are available within 24 hours.

Competitive advantage: Large imaging centers typically see a lot of patients every day, Greg McCauley said, which affects the quality of care. Advanced Imaging is able to take more time and thus provide better care, he said.

“It is more convenient and the patients might feel more comfortable,” he said. “It is all based on patient care.”

Startup cost: $100,000

Funding source: personal savings

Projected first-year revenue: $500,000 Potential problem and contingency plan: The partners do not forsee any problems and have been successful early on by focusing on marketing their service to doctors.

“We have a very set standardized method in which we pursue business in central Indiana and we know what our plan is from a month away to years away,” McCauley said. “We know exactly what we have to do to achieve our goals and establishing a strategic plan is vital to the success of any company.”

First-year goal: Advanced Imaging wants to continue to grow, and to that end recently hired a director of marketing and operations. McCauley also said the company wants to make full use of all of its mobile ultrasound units by the end of 2007, and it will hire more sonographers to make that happen.

Five-year vision: As other large medical equipment such as MRI machines evolve, they forsee portable versions that can be taken to the physician’s office-another possible service they could offer.