The Benefits of Mobile Diagnostic Testing for Physician Offices

If you run a physician office, you already know how much goes into getting a patient through the door.

Appointments. Insurance. Staffing. Scheduling. Equipment. Referrals.

And then there's the fun part: trying to coordinate everything the patient needs after they've left your office.

That's one reason mobile diagnostic testing can make sense for some practices.

Instead of sending a patient somewhere else for every test, the testing can come to you.

I've worked in diagnostic and vascular imaging for more than 20 years, and I've seen the difference that convenient access to testing can make for both the practice and the patient.

The patient doesn't have to make another trip

Let's be honest.

Patients aren't always thrilled when you tell them, “Now you need to go somewhere else for another test.”

Especially when that means taking another day off work, finding transportation, arranging childcare, or driving across town for a 30-minute appointment.

When testing is available at the physician's office, the patient can have the testing done where they're already receiving care.

That's simply more convenient.

For some patients, particularly those with high-deductible insurance plans, cost is another consideration. Depending on their insurance coverage, deductible status, contracted rates, and the way the service is billed, having testing available through a mobile service may offer a more affordable option than traveling elsewhere for care.

The important part is that actual patient costs depend on their individual insurance situation.

The physician has easier access to testing

Mobile testing can also make things easier for the physician.

Rather than automatically sending the patient out of the office, the practice can have testing performed onsite according to an agreed-upon schedule.

That means your staff has another option when diagnostic testing is needed.

It can also make it easier to coordinate testing with the patient's existing appointment or care plan.

It can add another service to the practice

There's another side to mobile testing that doesn't get talked about as much.

It can provide a practice with an opportunity to offer additional diagnostic services without having to purchase all of the equipment, dedicate additional space, or take on all of the responsibilities that come with maintaining another diagnostic service in-house.

For an appropriate practice with enough patient volume, that can create an additional revenue opportunity.

In other words, you're not just making things more convenient.

You may also be adding another service your practice can provide.

Why mobile?

That's really what mobile imaging is about.

I bring the equipment to the practice instead of asking the practice to send the patient somewhere else.

Whether you're looking for vascular testing, ultrasound services, or other mobile diagnostic options, Spectrum Mobile Imaging can work with physician offices and healthcare organizations to determine what makes sense for their needs.

After more than 20 years in this field, I know that good healthcare isn't only about having the right equipment.

It's also about making that equipment accessible to the people who need it.

And sometimes the best place to provide the testing is right where the patient already is.