THE MOBILE HOSPITAL TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY - FOCUS ON THE COMPUTERIZED-TOMOGRAPHY SCANNER

This study of firms offering mobile hospital technology to rural hospi tals in eight northwestern states found that several permanently parke d computerized tomography (CT) units were found where mobile routes ha d atrophied due to the purchase of fixed units by former mobile CT hos pital clients. Based on a criterion of 140 scans per month per unit as a threshold of profitable production, units owned by larger firms (th ose that operate five or more units) were more likely to be profitable than units owned by smaller firms (71% versus 20%, P=0.03). A substan tial number of rural hospitals lose money on mobile CT due to low Medi care reimbursement. In some areas, mobile hospital technology is a hig hly competitive industry. Evidence was found that several firms compet e in some geographic areas and that some firms have lost hospital clie nts to competing vendors.