(PRWEB) May 30, 2006 -- "If a five-second scan could save your life, would you get one" asked Mark Joyner, owner of South Coast Signature Services, Inc., in Anaheim, Calif. (www.leapoutsidethebox.com). "64-slice VCT scanners allow heart disease to be identified at its earliest stages, when it's possible to treat the disease and increase longevity."

The VCT scanner is groundbreaking new technology that measures and calculates calcium buildup – cholesterol-laden plaque – in the arteries and provides cardiologists with a 97% to 99% negative predictive value that ensures accuracy. Its early detection capability gives the VCT scanner a distinct advantage over the traditional method of diagnosing heart disease, the Framingham Stress Test. "When a treadmill is used to measure blood flow in the arteries, heart disease isn't evident until the arteries have narrowed 60% to 70%, which is a deadly figure," said Joyner.

Joyner has already witnessed the VCT scanner's positive impact on mortality rates in the United States. "When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released data announcing that the U.S. 2004 mortality rate plummeted by nearly 50,000, I knew that the early 2004 applications of this technology could claim credit," said Joyner.

Joyner can foresee the day when heart disease is no longer the number one killer in America, but is frustrated that cardiologists are prevented from owning and operating the lifesaving VCT scanners because of the federal Stark Law. The law prohibits doctors from making a referral to a Medicaid or Medicare reimbursable health service with which they have a financial relationship. "Today, the technology exists to diagnose heart disease before it becomes life-threatening," Joyner said. "Yet cardiologists are in a defensive mode, since they're not allowed to own equipment or invest in facilities that perform lifesaving tests."

Instead, entrepreneurs are stepping in to build stand-alone medical imaging facilities with VCT scanning technology. "In essence, entrepreneurs are saving lives with venture capital," said Joyner. As entrepreneurs continue to support VCT scanning technology, Joyner predicts that U.S. mortality rates will drop accordingly.

"Investing in medical imaging facilities is an incredible opportunity for people who are looking for something different and better," said Joyner. "This is a great investment for those who are frustrated with their portfolio, see the value in something new, and can appreciate a long-term return that doesn't need to be monitored." Indeed, Joyner said that the original research experts who worked on the FDA-approved VCT scanning technology are those who are now opening imaging centers.

"The researchers clearly see the value of VCT scanning technology, both in terms of its medical efficacy and in terms of its return on investment," Joyner concluded.

Source: prweb