Philips' $100M+ quality improvement plan results in another recalled CT scanner

Philips initiated a €100 million ($112 million) quality-improvement plan last year at its Cleveland manufacturing facility, but it didn't prevent the FDA from just disclosing a recall of several CT scanners made at the plant. More than 150 units of the company's scanners are affected by the voluntary recall, and the FDA issued a separate notice for each model. "The firm was informed that while raising the patient couch on the system to perform an exam, the couch unexpectedly descended to the lowest point without being commanded to do so," the recall notices state, citing employee error as the FDA-determined cause. The devices are distributed in China. Getting CT sales back on their feet is crucial for Philips, which shed 3% in healthcare sales last year. The previous CT manufacturing problems at the Cleveland plant had a negative impact on healthcare sales and orders of 4% in 2014, an effect that is expected to continue into 2015. Read one of the notices | Here's a list of all of the notices