Medical equipment sales 'stalled' by fiscal cliff worries, GE exec says
December 04, 2012
by Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor
Medical equipment sales have been "stalled" by worries over the so-called fiscal cliff, according to GE Healthcare's chief.
In an interview with Bloomberg News at RSNA 2012 in Chicago last week, GE Healthcare CEO John Dineen said the half a trillion dollars in tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January have put the brakes on equipment spending. (Hat tip: ImagingBiz.)
"It's impossible to make an investment if you're a hospital or hospital system, if you don't know what the financial rules are going to be," he told the magazine.
Bloomberg said GE's third-quarter sales fell 2 percent after inching up 1 percent in the previous quarter.
Earlier this month the Congressional Budget Office warned that failure to avert the $607 billion hit to the federal budget next year could trigger a recession and raise unemployment rates.
In an interview with Bloomberg News at RSNA 2012 in Chicago last week, GE Healthcare CEO John Dineen said the half a trillion dollars in tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January have put the brakes on equipment spending. (Hat tip: ImagingBiz.)
"It's impossible to make an investment if you're a hospital or hospital system, if you don't know what the financial rules are going to be," he told the magazine.
Bloomberg said GE's third-quarter sales fell 2 percent after inching up 1 percent in the previous quarter.
Earlier this month the Congressional Budget Office warned that failure to avert the $607 billion hit to the federal budget next year could trigger a recession and raise unemployment rates.