Important Role of Mobile Imaging Solutions in Hospitals Across Europe
05 September 2003
According to a recent study by a leading European management consultancy, Britain is the global leader when it comes to getting the best from ‘outsourcing’ – using the private sector to deliver public services. The benefits of such outsourcing are, perhaps, at their most evident in the medical arena where healthcare providers are increasingly looking to temporary solutions such as mobile imaging systems to meet their ongoing diagnostic requirements – for example where new equipment is being installed or existing equipment upgraded.
Serving both public and private healthcare institutions, companies such as AMIS, equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile imaging fleet can help ensure that hospitals everywhere receive a fast response to their temporary imaging needs – with mobile systems that best meet their clinical requirements delivered ready for use exactly when they need them – for as long or as short a time as necessary. Expert training and support is also offered, allowing hospitals to utilise their own staff/radiographers – ensuring both maximum continuity and minimum impact on budgets.
Traditionally, where a hospital was undergoing a construction project, equipment upgrade or replacement, patients were sent to other medical sites. However, with the increasing use of temporary equipment, hospitals can continue to bring the technology to the patient – rather than the patient to the technology – saving both time and money.
Furthermore, where patient demand is particularly high, or where there is the urgent need to clear a waiting list, the use of mobile interim solutions can help the radiology department increase their imaging capabilities to stay on schedule and on budget. In the UK, for example, some 25% of the NHS waiting list for elective surgery is made up of patients waiting for an Orthopaedic procedure. A significant proportion of these patients are listed for procedures such as diagnostic arthroscopies that could be avoided if access to MRI was improved.
The benefits of working with companies, which supply mobile interim solutions, become even more convincing when voiced by users of the systems. As Bob Bate, Senior Radiographer at London’s Parkside Hospital commented: "Maintaining good access to cross-sectional imaging is critical for the clinical and cost effectiveness of Parkside – and indeed any other hospital. We hired one of AMIS’ MRI mobile systems for 6 weeks this year so that we could continue scanning patients whilst our new system was installed. We couldn’t believe how easy it was to organise the hire or how simple the mobile imaging unit was to operate.. The MRI applications representative was also quick to appreciate the level of expertise that we had with this type of scanner and was able to tailor his input accordingly."
In the UK, the Government’s commitment to providing greater access and choice for patients, combined with the willingness to develop plurality of providers, irrespective of their public or private status has lead to the widespread recognition of the benefits that outsourcing can bring to both patient and healthcare institution alike. Elsewhere across Europe the recognition of the benefits that the use of interim solutions can bring is becoming evident – undoubtedly, the future of mobile imaging is bright.
