International Association of Certified Thermographers Blog

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone at IACT for their hard work.  My husband and I were able to use the prewritten contract and marketing material and plan to use the seminar soon.  This alone was well worth the membership fee.  The Cmoon Sense Approach to Thermal Imaging is a great reference book.  This has been extremely helpful to our new business and has saved us lots of time, money, and effort.  Keep up the good work!

Response to Oregon clinic issue

As the president of the IACT, I feel the need to respond to the most recent post regarding the Oregon clinic and its owner Tom Crandall.  I have never met Tom in person, but I have been privileged enough to do business with him. I purchased a camera stand from Tom.  Throughout the entire process Tom, was very fare and honest with me and my associates. He did everything he said he was going to do and more.  He makes a great product.

I also have had lengthy conversations with Tom on various issues, and feel I have formed a friendship via phone.  I can say with full confidence that I will continue to do business with Tom.  I have never been to Tom’s place of business or seen any official documents concerning the allegations brought against him and his business.  Regardless, I find the allegations’ extremely hard to believe. 

I feel as an association we need to find out the facts concerning this or any matter that affects our fellow thermographers.  If the allegations against Tom were true shouldn’t he have received a warning first?  Doesn’t companies, doctors, realtors and especially lawyers etc. receive a warning first if they are doing something illegal or unethical?  Then if they do not comply with the warnings, forced out of business? 

I hate to see this happen to Tom and his family.   I feel as an association we should stand behind him.  I would love to hear from more of our members.  I know that Tom is ready to put this issue behind him and move on.  It is a shame when a hard working persons name gets dragged through the mud. 

Garnett Shortt - President IACT

Controversy in Oregon over clinic

A clinic in Salem, Oregon has become a topic of heated discussion since its recent closure. Mary Anne Crandall, along with her husband and brother-in-law, allegedly operated an unlicensed breast cancer detection clinic.  Several more allegations included falsely claiming to be a registered nurse, a chiropractor, and a medical doctor.

“SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline) - An unlicensed health clinic in Medford, Ore., was shut down by the state attorney general for allegedly endangering women by providing faulty breast cancer detection tests.

Laser and Thermal Imaging Center also went by then name Mountain Top Medical and Therapeutic Laser Centers.

The center is owned by Mary Anne Crandall, her husband, Tom Crandall, and her brother-in-law, Jams Crandall. Mary Ann Crandall also falsely claimed to be licensed as an registered nurse, a chiropractor, a medical doctor and a naturopath.

Under a settlement, Laser and Thermal Imaging Center is required to warn women who received the clinic’s thermographic imaging that they should get a mammogram since the clinic’s thermography testing was not enough.

‘Putting the lives of women at risk is unconscionable,’ Attorney General John Kroger said. ‘Given the lethal consequences of delaying detection of such a deadly cancer, I am giving medical impostors fair notice that these types of misrepresentations will not be tolerated.’

The clinic’s claim that thermography equipment was able to detect the presence of breast cancer from seven to 10 years before other diagnostic procedures, including mammography, has been repudiated in medical studies, the AG’s office said in a statement, noting that mammography is the recommended procedure by all medical sources to screen for breast cancer.

Laser and Thermal Imaging Center was also found to have engaged in fraudulent billing practices.

Patients were charged up front for experimental procedures and told that reimbursement payments would be made later despite insurance companies rarely making such payments. Billing codes were also altered sometimes to obtain unwarranted reimbursement from insurers.

A total of $20,000 will be paid by the clinic to cover the restitution. The settlement also requires the Crandall’s to close the clinic and never provide thermography or laser services and to never hold themselves out as health care providers unless licensed by the state.”

-Source: www.legalnewsline.com

Fluke purchases Hawk-IR …. what does this mean?

Sitting in the email box on Tuesday March 24, 2009 was the following announcement.

Fluke Purchases Hawk-IR
Do you think this is a bad or a good thing? 
While I can not determine if this is a good or bad thing, it does raise two questions in my mind.

1) Will the windows will become easier to purchase since they are now sold at so many distributors?

2) Will the distributors be able to adequately and intelligently discuss the benefits (or disadvantages) to installing the windows?

Picture Gallery is now open!

If you would like to add some interesting pictures to the gallery, please email them to hillaryd {at} iact-thermography(.)org

E&O Insurance - Is it necessary?

In talking with members, the question of the necessity of E&O insurance came up.  For those thermographers who do not perform home inspections - do you have an E&O insurance policy?  If not - please tell us why and what do you use!