Cars and vans driving through local communities bringing healthcare services straight to patients where they live and work.
Welcome to fleet-based healthcare.
Healthcare providers are beginning to recognise that not everyone can (or will) come to them. Instead of waiting around for patients to walk through their doors, thousands of medical fleets are hitting the streets to deliver care right to patients’ neighborhoods.
The proof is in the numbers…
Experts are projecting the global mobile health vehicle market to grow from $342.6 million in 2024 to $728.5 million by 2035.
Numbers don’t lie.
Fleet-based healthcare isn’t a trend. It’s a business model that will change the way healthcare gets delivered to patients.
Here’s what’s covered:
- Why Fleet-Based Healthcare Is Growing Faster Than You Think
- What Separates a Patient Safety Healthcare Vehicle From the Rest
- How Does the Fleet-Based Healthcare Business Model Work?
- Biggest Challenges Facing Mobile Medical Fleets
- Why This Healthcare Business Model Will Stick Around
Let’s dive in.
Why Fleet-Based Healthcare Is Growing Faster Than You Think
Here’s the problem with healthcare right now:
Patients need it. But they aren’t always able to get it.
Whether it’s a rural community, an urban underserved area, or an aging population with limited mobility. The reality is that it can be incredibly difficult to receive consistent and preventive care.
That’s where fleet-based healthcare is stepping in.
By taking clinics and doctors offices to patients, medical fleets are filling a huge gap in care delivery. Right now, there are an estimated 3,000 mobile clinics operating in the United States alone serving millions of patient visits per year. And that number is expected to grow.
Mobility is just one part of it too.
An aging population, rising chronic disease, and growing healthcare deserts mean there are more and more patients who require frequent medical attention but lack the resources to receive it. A patient safety healthcare vehicle equipped with the right key design features for mobile medical clinics can provide preventive care, chronic disease management, diagnostic testing, and more. Some are even offering supplemental emergency care in areas where hospitals are few and far between.
Makes sense when you think about it…
Instead of investing millions of dollars into brick-and-mortar clinics that may or may not be used. Why not deploy fleets that can drive to multiple locations at a fraction of the cost?
What Separates a Patient Safety Healthcare Vehicle From The Rest
Not all mobile medical vehicles are created equal.
A medical fleet that prioritizes patient safety begins with the right vehicle. But what makes a patient safety mobile healthcare vehicle different? And how can anyone be sure the one they’re looking at won’t fall apart the second it starts driving?
Here are a few things to look for…
Patient safety healthcare vehicles are built from the ground up with one goal in mind: delivering medical care safely on the road.
That means:
- Temperature controlled patient care spaces with proper ventilation.
- Built-in telemedicine technology to connect patients with specialists at remote locations.
- Onboard diagnostic equipment to perform basic testing, bloodwork, imaging, and more.
- Accessibility features like wheelchair lifts and ADA compliance.
- Secure storage for medications, vaccines, and biohazard materials.
The vehicle as a whole must also be built to precise safety standards. From the electricity systems to infection control, patient safety should be considered at every step of the design process.
Nearly 60% of new mobile units were equipped with telemedicine technology by 2023.
That level of integration allows care professionals on scene to virtually connect patients with cardiologists, neurologists and other specialists they normally wouldn’t have access to.
And that’s just for patient safety.
Who Is Running These Fleets?
The Mobile Medical Vehicle Business Model
Like any good business model, healthcare fleets are solving a problem in an innovative way.
So how do they actually make money?
Medical fleets are typically owned and operated by hospitals, healthcare organizations, and even private businesses looking to expand their healthcare services. The vehicles are purchased, outfitted with necessary equipment, and then driven out to communities to serve patients on assigned days.
Deploying fleets this way allows healthcare organizations to:
- Spend less money on overhead by not having to lease or build facilities in every location they service.
- Easily scale by adding more vehicles to the fleet instead of opening new facilities.
- Create multiple streams of revenue. Serving businesses for employee wellness visits, vaccination campaigns, health fairs, proactive chronic disease management, and more.
- Qualify for government grants and funding. A new act called MOBILE Health Care was even passed in 2022 allowing mobile clinics to receive federal funding when servicing rural communities.
Healthcare systems that have integrated mobile clinics into their practice have seen great results. Mobile care has been shown to prevent hundreds of thousands of ER visits each year by providing patients with earlier access to preventive care.
The key is consistency. Medical fleets that hit the same location routinely while building trust within the community will continue to see their patient visits grow year after year.
Challenges That Come with Implementing a Medical Mobile Fleet
Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
As with any new business model, there are bound to be challenges that come with mobile healthcare. But by knowing what could come up before getting started, operators will be better equipped to tackle those problems head-on.
Some challenges healthcare fleets face:
- Upfront Cost. Medical mobile units can range anywhere from $100k-$300k+ depending on how they are equipped.
- Staffing. Medical fleets need staff just like brick-and-mortar clinics do. Finding qualified professionals that are willing to work in a mobile environment can be difficult.
- Regulations. Licensing mobile clinics and following regulatory guidelines can vary greatly from state to state and region to region.
- Maintenance. As with any fleet, mobile healthcare vehicles require a lot of maintenance to keep them running smoothly.
That being said…
These aren’t deal breaker problems. But they are things to consider before jumping in with both feet.
Operational mobile fleets often collaborate with vehicle companies that specialise in custom medical mobile vehicles. Many can also tap into government grants as mentioned before.
It’s also important to maintain strong relationships with the communities being served. Leaving anytime could damage reputation and efforts to gain momentum.
This Healthcare Business Model Is Only Going to Get Bigger
The fact is healthcare fleets are here to stay.
Population demographics aren’t going to revert back to what they were. Chronic disease isn’t going to magically disappear. And underserved areas won’t suddenly become metropolises with hospitals on every corner.
Mobile healthcare vehicles are the solution to all of these issues and more.
Providers that get on board with this model now can position themselves to truly make a difference in the communities that need help the most. Infrastructure is being built. Technology is improving. And funding is becoming more accessible.
Bringing It Home…
As shown above, fleet-based healthcare is quickly becoming one of the most lucrative and scalable business models in the healthcare industry.
Not only does this model allow healthcare providers to offer services to patients that may not have had access before. But when ran correctly, mobile fleets present an opportunity to drastically reduce operations cost per patient.
The healthcare landscape is shifting. The organisations that act now and invest in fleet-based delivery will be the ones leading the way forward.
