From the December 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


She says becoming accredited also means a lot of paperwork, which can take its toll on a small business. Gallagher expects a big impact from XR-29 and the MITA “Smart Dose” compliancy regulations, which place new requirements on CT scanners to ensure full CMS reimbursement. He describes a rural hospital in Louisiana with an older CT, “They couldn’t afford to upgrade it and they couldn’t afford to keep it.”

LG Medical took over the lease on that CT as well as one of their MR systems and in exchange provided them a new CT scanner with full XR-29 compliance. Gallagher says that transaction wound up cutting monthly costs for that hospital by 13 percent.


“Historically,” says Rocha of Shared Imaging, “the customers were more apt to accept an older piece of equipment, but that’s completely gone away.” The quality requirements of hospitals utilizing mobile or modular platforms are no different than the requirements of fixed site. “There is more of a push for higher-end systems than we’ve seen in the past, and that has a lot to do with XR-29 and the dose requirements.”

Smith with Medical Coaches thinks as shared imaging services rise to the challenges of radiation and reimbursement guidelines, the trailer manufacturers will play a crucial role. “The equipment is so expensive that shared mobile services will keep hospitals and smaller medical centers at an advantage with newer, more expensive equipment,” says Smith.

Mobile is not going anywhere
“When a patient needs a particular exam done, the physician doesn’t want to ask himself if the MR scanner is there today,” says Gallagher, “they want it done and they want it done now.” That trend may take the emphasis off wheels, but not off fixed-site mobiles and / or modular buildings.

So, is it really the end of the line for true mobile medical? For MR and CT at least, it does increasingly seem that way. More and more, these trailers are permanently parked, which is a good thing because the road was never a particularly accommodating place for performing medical procedures.

“Mobile is not a dying business, it’s going through a change,” says Rocha. “The majority of hospitals now have fixed systems, but the industry is moving towards providing customers with flexibility as they rethink their strategies and reallocate their imaging budgets. Mobile imaging plays a part in that solution.”

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December 2014 Magazine

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