From the December 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


The other way the power is hooked up is by hardwiring the trailer into the facility, but you have to be aware and make sure that you get a licensed electrical contractor and/or certified staff of the facility. The last, and least desirable, is a generator. This should only be considered as a temporary solution. I’ve had situations in which the generator was as expensive as the mobile unit.

HCB News: What are the state, county and city regulatory requirements?
DM: It’s important to note that a lot of states require Certificates of Need, and this is typically related to demographics of the local area and utilization rates. So, a lot of times, if you have the demand, you can get past the Certificate of Need, especially for a mobile interim solution. But, if it’s going to go any time longer than that, you’ll have to get a Certificate of Need.
There [may also be] health department and/or Housing and Urban Development codes. Make sure that the trailer you’re getting comes pre-certified for whatever local health department and/or HUD stickers you might need. There are insurance requirements by the mobile provider that some states and counties require. You show proof of it and you have to have it up and mounted.

HCB News: Are there security concerns?
DM: The trailers usually come with locks on the doors and underneath the belly boxes. The technologists should be locking up the trailers when they leave them, every time they go inside the facility. It is a pain, but it should be done. We’ve had situations in which people have taken up residence inside of our equipment because it was left open. It’s common to set up barriers to keep cars and trucks from getting too close to the equipment. When the rented equipment is in your facility, you’re responsible for it, so damage from somebody backing into it can cause trouble.

On the MRI side, it is necessary to keep some distance from the magnet, especially on some of the older systems, in order to keep the quality of the images coming out of it as good as possible. A three- to eight-foot barrier is common. Newer technology needs no more than 3 feet.

HCB News: Are there wear and tear concerns, and should a facility be wary of any unanticipated expenses associated with the rental?
DM: It’s common to see additional charges for abnormal wear and tear, so be very careful here. Make sure your personnel are very aware if there is a deposit. It’s common for the personnel that are using the mobile to go, ‘Hey, this is just a temporary thing’ and not take care of it, and it can cost you a lot of money.

HCB News: What can be done to help make the patient experience better?
DM: If you’re doing something more permanent, [I’ve seen] grass settings around them, picnic benches set up around them, planters, ramps leading up to them. You can even pull one inside, so you don’t even know you’re in a mobile. (If) there’s a service entrance at the back of the building where you have a roll-up door, the mobile pulls in and parks and then there’s this hood that extends the hallway and connects it to the side of the building, so you never actually walk into a mobile.

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December 2015 Magazine

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