Nov. 4, 2024 – Shared Medical Services, Inc. (SMS) and Nebraska Medicine recently announced the deployment of the Philips Mobile MR 5300 BlueSeal magnet. The MR 5300 with BlueSeal technology is designed to provide helium-free MR imaging capabilities in a mobile format, increasing access to care with advanced medical diagnostics for communities in both rural and urban areas.
"We're excited to partner with Philips and Nebraska Medicine to deploy the first Mobile MR 5300 in the US," said Maureen Kenney, President of Shared Medical Services. "Introducing helium-free MR technology into the SMS fleet presents a significant opportunity. The streamlined operations, combined with maintaining the highest level of diagnostic confidence, create a true win-win scenario."
Philips developed the MR 5300 with the latest in AI technology and sustainability in mind, delivering a better patient and staff experience that is also better for the environment. Philips BlueSeal technology only uses 7 liters of helium, without the need for refills. The addition of Smart Workflow AI- technology dramatically reduces the steps needed to complete an MR exam – it offers guided patient set-up in under a minute and technology that accelerates MR scans by up to 50%.
“Our system provides superior image quality in a compact, mobile footprint, helping to increase diagnostic confidence for clinicians while expanding quality access and better care to more patients,” said Ioannis Panagiotelis, PhD, Global Business Leader of MR at Philips. “The MR 5300 can simplify and automate the most complex clinical and operational tasks, increasing uptime, and ultimately lead to a better sta] experience. In turn, this allows them to focus on what matters most – the patient.”
Nebraska Medicine will be the first to bring the Mobile MR 5300 into its clinical operations. Samantha Palensky, Radiology Operations Manager at Nebraska Medicine, highlighted the immediate impact on patient services, saying, “We’re excited to be partnering with Shared Medical Services on our new MRI mobile, the MR 5300, providing cutting-edge services to increase our patient capacity and decrease the pressure on our current MRI magnets in-house.”
Erin Griesman, Nebraska Medicine’s Nuclear Medicine Operations Manager, emphasized the significance of SMS’s support, stating, “Imaging demands keep increasing and increasing, so Nebraska Medicine is trying to think outside the box. SMS rose to the occasion and helped us provide additional imaging opportunities here on campus at Nebraska Medicine. The relationship with Shared Medical Services has been wonderful. They’ve been very reliable and very dedicated to helping us with protocols, with the trailer itself, and with implementing this new workflow at Nebraska Medicine.”
Marcy Saniuk, Director of Radiology at Nebraska Medicine, shared, “Nebraska Medicine Radiology has really been focusing on expanding our services for our patients. Our patients are our priority ... and we want to increase the capacity to get our patients in quicker while still providing extraordinary care.” She added, “This provides continuity of care across all of our campuses with all of our equipment. Our mission, our vision, and our values have aligned together with SMS’s perfectly, and we are extremely excited to partner together.”
Randy Duncan, Regional Vice President at Shared Medical Services, emphasized the shared commitment to patient care, saying, “Shared Medical Services and Nebraska Medicine are similar in a lot of ways. Both organizations strive to be the best and bring the best to the patients.” He also highlighted the benefits of the BlueSeal technology, adding, “With the BlueSeal technology, it’s where the future is headed... In MR, there's a shortage of helium, and when there's a shortage of helium, the cost of helium skyrockets. This is going to impact that in a positive way.” Looking ahead, Duncan remarked, “SMS is always looking for new opportunities... something that’s coming in the very near future is Mobile Digital Cardiac PET/CT... and with F-18 based cardiac imaging agents becoming available, that’ll be a game changer.”
Additional information on Shared Medical Devices is available at www.sharedmed.com. For more information about Nebraska Medicine, visit www.nebraskamed.com .
November 20, 2025 
