From the December 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


In regions like Montana and North Dakota, the weather can present certain challenges. “If we have a generator under the belly of the trailer and four feet of snow, we have to be mindful of that,” says Bastian. Downtime in rural communities can be longer too, as repair services may be hundreds of miles away. Bastian says a hospital may choose to permanently park a mobile MR because they have the numbers to support it financially, but perhaps lack the space within the main facility. “Maybe they are recruiting a radiologist who says an MR on site is necessary,” says Bastian, “or maybe it has become cost effective because they’ve recruited MR certified staff to work internally.”

Permanently parked trailers currently make up two-fifths of the MonDak Imaging Services five car fleet. And that trend of ‘staying put’ seems to extend well beyond rural Montana and North Dakota.


Wheels optional?
The reasons for utilizing mobile services are evolving alongside the health care system itself and, increasingly for MR and CT, it refers to coaches and modular labs that are utilized not because they can move, but rather because they can stay in one place without crowding the main hospital. Modular labs
represent an extension of that philosophy; exchanging wheels entirely for a larger, more permanent role.

“It’s no longer a replacement for a fixed system,” says Juan Rocha, vice president of field operations for Shared Imaging, “But as a flexible solution, mobile is growing. For customers that need to rearrange assets, or take more of a strategic approach to deploying resources, mobile is a viable solution to help with their overall strategy.” Shared Imaging contracts customers for anywhere from two weeks to four years.

Mark Koers, an account executive with Modular Devices, credits his company’s success to three things: quick delivery, little to no upfront capital expense, and flexible lease terms. Those benefits, particularly in light of the construction costs, planning, and time required of an installed system, have made this one of their most successful years.

“When deciding between purchasing and installing a system in-house or leasing a mobile lab, a mobile will be up and running right away at a lower cost,” says Koers. Gallagher at LG Medical Technologies describes similar benefits to fixed-mobiles and modular solutions. His company operates in 22 states and has contracts with big and small hospitals, alike. Including a large university hospital in Chicago who contracts with his company because, “they just can’t grow anymore.”

December 2014 Magazine

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