Appropriate modalities for the rural setting Slaback says complex imaging modalities like PET/CT, aren’t needed as much in rural environments. Collaborations among rural facilities to bring in a mobile CT unit used to be popular until the price point came down on equipment enough to convince facilities that transitioning into a fixed unit made sense. These days, Slaback says MR is a popular choice for mobile units in rural communities, but with less facilities moving into a fixed unit the way they did with CT.
Mammography is another popular imaging modality in the rural setting.
“It’s such a basic preventive service that’s so critical to have access to,” says Slaback.
However, many rural facilities have fixed mammography units in their hospitals and clinics, and many are digital as the price has come down and the convenience of PACS has made it more convenient for rural clinics to work with radiologists remotely.
The mobile mammography units that do frequent rural and underserved areas are normally screening exams because regulations for mobile diagnostic mammography exams are much more stringent.
“Diagnostic imaging means you have to have a radiologist on board or immediately available to look at the film,” says Theresa Weaver, manager of the mobile mammography program at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Northern California. St. Joseph’s operates one digital mammography mobile unit and provides services to women through partnerships with clinics and consortiums of clinics that do not offer the service.
Weaver says they require a provider referral for the exam. “We find that 20 percent of the time, women will need further imaging services and we need a provider to manage the post-screening mammography care.”
Although Weaver says they encounter a significant number of no-show patients, the program has grown from screening 946 patients in 2007 to 2899 in 2012.
Across the board, mobile health care for rural and underserved areas has witnessed increased support from Congress and health care stakeholders in the past few years.
“Mobile health care can fit in with many health care initiatives and there is more funding from various agencies for mobile,” says Darien DeLorenzo, CEO & executive director of the Mobile Health Clinics Association.
Important considerations All mobile providers interviewed for this story told DOTmed News that they offer their customers planning guidance on what to consider technically and logistically in regard to a mobile imaging trailer.
