This post was written by John W. Mitchell and first appeared on DOTmed HealthCare Business Daily News. It has been reposted here with permission of the publisher.

Two sources report that they are responding to rapidly changing demands of their hospital clients during the COVID-19 disaster.

“Coronavirus has impacted our business, like all businesses, at this time,” said Hoover with DMS Health Technologies. “Many facilities are looking into using a mobile provider to take their radiology department outside of the healthcare facility to provide for the imaging needs of the community, while limiting potential exposures within the healthcare setting.”

They see a keen interest in their portable solid-state gamma camera (Ergo) for nuclear medicine tests to expand their X-ray and ultrasound mobile services. Facilities are using mobile imaging units to keep patients in their vehicles until the technologist is ready to perform the exam. The tech can complete registration on the mobile unit, and then perform the scan to keep the patient out of the healthcare facility side to limit any potential COVID-19 exposure.

Hoover said that in a pandemic, normal lead planning time is not feasible.

“There are many patients that need their imaging needs addressed as soon as possible,” said Hoover. “While the focus has historically been on portable X-ray and ultrasound, we need to make sure that we are leveraging all portable modalities for COVID-19 patients. The more we can do to take the radiology department to the patient from an infection control standpoint, the better off we will be.”