How should X-ray and imaging equipment dealers structure financing for clinics?
Imaging equipment is expensive and changes fast, so most clinics finance it, and the structure you offer matters as much as the price. Here’s which structure closes each kind of deal, what the payments look like on DR rooms, CT, and MRI, and which partner program fits your volume.
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Most imaging buyers finance, and a lot of them do it specifically because the technology keeps moving. In the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s 2024 Horizon Report, 55% of businesses named protection from equipment obsolescence as a top reason to finance. So financing is part of almost every imaging sale, whether you bring it up or not.
Why does financing decide imaging equipment sales?
Big tickets, and real reasons to upgrade. A new DR X-ray room runs roughly $45,000 to $190,000 depending on tier, a refurbished CT $90,000 to $400,000, and a refurbished 1.5T MRI $200,000 to $850,000, all before any construction. Our imaging center cost guide has the full ranges.
Medicare is pushing clinics off older technology, too. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, the technical-component payment for X-rays taken on film has been cut 20% since 2017, and X-rays taken with computed radiography (the cassette-based kind) have been cut 10% since 2023 (CMS Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 13). Every clinic still on film or CR is a DR prospect with a reason to buy this year.
What usually stops those sales is the financing, not the clinic’s interest. In the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, only 39% of healthcare and education firms that applied for financing were fully approved. A clinic its bank turns down still needs the room. The order just sits, or ends up with whoever can get it financed.
Which imaging deals stall, and what closes them?
| The deal | Where it stalls | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| Film or CR clinic | “We’ll upgrade next year” | A DR payment next to the Medicare cut the clinic takes on every X-ray |
| CT or other fast-turnover scanner | The clinic won’t commit to owning technology it will want to replace | A fair market value lease with a lower payment and an upgrade path |
| Refurbished CT, MRI, or C-arm | Outside many lenders’ programs | Financed regularly, with the term matched to the remaining service life and the warranty |
| Install-heavy project | The lender finances the system but not the room work | Site preparation, shielding, installation, and service contracts on the same agreement |
| CT or MRI over $500,000 | Full underwriting adds time | Start the financial package with the quote, not after the clinic says yes |
| Clinic waiting on its bank | The order sits for weeks, or dies on one decline | Answers in hours, and another program can review it if the first one declines |
Every row ends the same way: the clinic wants the system, and the right structure books the order now instead of next year. If a deal dies on one program’s rules, here’s what we do when in-house financing says no.
What does an imaging payment look like?
Quote monthly on every proposal. Here’s what common imaging projects look like at an assumed 6.75%:
| Example project | Price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| DR retrofit | $35,000 | About $689 over 60 months |
| Cart ultrasound | $90,000 | About $1,772 over 60 months |
| DR X-ray room | $110,000 | About $2,165 over 60 months, or $1,647 over 84 |
| Refurbished CT | $250,000 | About $4,921 over 60 months, or $3,743 over 84 |
| Refurbished 1.5T MRI | $600,000 | About $8,982 over 84 months, with full financials |
Illustrative payments at an assumed 6.75% with no money down. Example prices, not market quotes. Actual rates and payments depend on the clinic’s credit, the equipment, and the term.
For CT and other scanners the clinic expects to replace, a fair market value lease brings the payment down further and leaves room for an upgrade at the end of the term. We compare the options modality by modality in lease or buy imaging equipment, and the quick payment math for reps is in our guide to quoting a monthly payment.
What should an imaging dealer’s partner program include?
- Every modality you sell. MRI, CT, ultrasound, digital X-ray and DR retrofits, C-arms and fluoroscopy, CBCT, mammography, and PACS and imaging IT, new and refurbished.
- The room, not just the system. Site preparation, shielding, installation, and service contracts included on qualifying transactions, so the clinic sees one payment for the whole project.
- The right structure for each system. Equipment finance agreements from 24 to 84 months for equipment the clinic will run for years, and leases from 24 to 60 months with $1, 10%, or fair market value buyouts for technology it will replace.
- Answers in an hour or two. At Five West, most submissions get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours, and clean files can be approved in as little as 30 minutes.
- No paperwork wall on most deals. Application-only decisions up to $500,000 on qualifying files, which covers most ultrasound, X-ray rooms, and 2D mammography. The application starts with a soft credit inquiry.
- Full payment when it funds. 100% of the invoice on funding after delivery and acceptance, with deposit funding once documents are signed where the equipment requires it.
Which program tier fits your imaging dealership?
We size our tiers by monthly application volume, and all three are free. Assuming about half your sales are financed:
| Annual equipment sales | Financed, if about half | Per month | Tier that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $500,000 | About $42,000 | 3rd Party Financing, our referral tier, with no minimum |
| $3 million | $1.5 million | About $125,000 | Co-Branded |
| $6 million | $3 million | About $250,000 | Co-Branded |
| $12 million or more | $6 million or more | About $500,000 or more | Private Label |
Application volume usually runs higher than funded volume, because not every application funds.
3rd Party Financing is the simple version: you refer customers, with no minimum and no setup. Co-Branded is for dealers sending about $100,000 a month in applications and funding one deal a quarter. It puts your logo on a payment calculator and financing page and adds the Partner Portal for live deal tracking. Private Label, at about $500,000 a month, builds a program under your brand, with CRM integration, sales meeting sponsorships, and trade show support. Our partner program comparison goes through all three.
What should your reps say to a clinic?
- To a film or CR clinic: “Medicare is paying 20% less on film X-rays and 10% less on CR. A DR room runs about $2,165 a month over 60 months, estimated and subject to credit approval.”
- On a CT: “If you’ll want the next generation in five years, a fair market value lease keeps the payment lower and gives you an upgrade path.”
- On a refurbished system: “We finance refurbished systems from the manufacturer or an established refurbisher regularly, on a term matched to the warranty.”
- On a room build: “The shielding and installation can go on the same agreement, so it’s one payment for the whole room.”
- After a decline: “Let’s not stop there. I’ll send it to a partner that can try other programs.”
Why should imaging dealers start their year-end push early?
Because installs take time. Profitable practices look for deductions in November and December, and Section 179 applies to financed equipment placed in service by December 31. A system that isn’t in service by then won’t qualify for this year, so build the year-end list now and lock in install dates early. Our Section 179 sales playbook is written for reps, and there’s a guide to Section 179 on imaging equipment for clinics.
What decides most imaging deals?
Two questions: how long the equipment will last, and how fast the technology will change. Finance and own the long-lived systems, lease the ones the clinic will replace, put the room work on the same agreement, and quote a monthly payment on every proposal. Use the Medicare cuts to turn film and CR clinics into DR orders this year, and route every application through a partner with more than one program. Every tier is free, and at about $100,000 a month in applications, the program can carry your name.
Frequently asked questions
Can refurbished imaging equipment be financed?
Yes. Refurbished systems from the manufacturer or an established refurbisher are financed regularly, usually at a meaningful discount to new, with the term matched to the remaining service life and the warranty.
Should a clinic lease or buy imaging equipment?
It depends on how long the clinic will keep it. Long-lived equipment like MRI magnets, X-ray rooms, retrofits, and ultrasound is usually financed and owned. Scanners that turn over faster, like CT, often fit a fair market value lease with an upgrade path.
Can site preparation, shielding, and installation be financed?
Yes, on qualifying transactions. Site prep, shielding, installation, and service contracts can go on the same agreement as the system, so the clinic has one payment for the whole project.
Do clinics need full financials to finance imaging equipment?
Under $500,000, usually not. The application and the equipment quote cover most ultrasound, X-ray rooms, and 2D mammography. CT, MRI, and PET/CT purchases generally go over that and need a full financial package, so start it with the quote.
How fast can an imaging deal be approved?
Most applications get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours at Five West. Clean application-only files can be approved in as little as 30 minutes, and funding can follow within 24 to 48 hours of signed documents.
What does it cost an imaging dealer to offer financing?
Nothing. Every tier is free to the dealer, with no setup fee, no monthly fee, and no application fee for your customers. The clinic pays the finance charge.
When does an imaging dealer get paid on a financed sale?
When the deal funds. We pay 100% of the invoice after the clinic signs and the equipment is delivered and accepted. Where the equipment needs a deposit, deposit funding can be released once documents are signed.
Start a partner program.
An imaging financing program under your name, with the room work on the same agreement, answers within hours, and 100% of the invoice when deals fund. The partner application takes about 10 minutes, and it’s not a credit application.
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This article is general information about vendor financing for imaging equipment dealers. It is not a rate quote, a commitment to finance, or tax or reimbursement advice. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.