Texas Medical Mobile Services, known for its state-of-the-art storage facility for mobile MRI and CT systems, now offers MRI rigging and deinstallation.

"That entails professionally deinstalling an MRI system from the hospital using cranes, forklifts and rigging apparatus and we provide all of that," said President Cliff Hess. "And of course the magnet has to be ramped down. They are at [full magnetic] field in the hospital and that field has to be ramped down before it can be moved."

Once stored at the TMMS Waxahachie, Texas facility, the MRI is protected and monitored indoors. "We have three stored right now at our facility--fixed MRIs that stay here till the customer is ready for them or till they sell," Hess said. "They have to be kept on 480 power with helium monitored and added if and when necessary."

The company's new, four-acre site is perfect for storing mobile units, too. The affordably priced TMMS facility offers indoor and outdoor bays, electrical power, forklifts, cryogen filling for MRI magnets, even portable chillers for trailers that arrive with problems. A motion-sensor, closed-circuit TV with digital recording and alarm lets customers check on their units from the Internet 24/7. In addition, TMMS personnel monitor systems and provide web-based reports on helium level, internal magnet pressure, and cold head/chiller operation.

"We are now also doing full trailer refurbishments," Hess added. "Our capabilities include interior refurbishment, exterior paint, and mechanical repairs where necessary."

TMMS customers include large mobile fleets that need a place for storage, cleanup, renovation and upgrades. Smaller clients include equipment dealers that buy and sell mobile units and need a safe place to put them while closing deals or arranging rentals. Now, with MRI deinstall, TMMS adds to its customer base, serving hospitals and imaging centers that need to remove, store, and protect fixed assets while upgrading or renovating. The new service for deinstallation and storage of fixed MRIs was a "natural progression" according to Hess.

Getting DOTmed Certified just makes sense, too, as Hess adds DOTmed's stamp of approval to his highly regarded business. "DOTmed is obviously becoming more and more important in the industry and certification puts us up there with the rest of the companies," he said.

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