TridentCare Acquires DispatchHealth's Imaging Unit
Mobile diagnostics provider TridentCare has acquired DispatchHealth’s Imaging Business Unit, a move that expands its service footprint and market presence. The acquisition signals ongoing consolidation in the mobile imaging sector and is expected to increase competition among vendors focused on decentralized, on-demand diagnostics.
- This acquisition follows a pattern of DispatchHealth buying smaller mobile imaging companies, including Professional Portable X-Ray in April 2021 and Dynamic Mobile Imaging in December 2021, before divesting the consolidated unit to focus on its primary in-home medical care services. - For TridentCare, the purchase adds the former DispatchHealth imaging operations across 16 states, aiming to increase service capacity, improve response times, and standardize service quality by integrating it into its national infrastructure. - The transaction is part of a larger consolidation trend in the mobile imaging market, which is projected to grow from $15.1 billion in 2022 to $24.9 billion by 2032, fueled by an aging population and technological advancements. - This deal reflects a broader strategic shift in healthcare toward decentralized care, as major commercial payers like Cigna, Anthem, and UnitedHealthcare have implemented policies restricting reimbursements for MRIs and CTs performed in higher-cost hospital outpatient settings. - The move out of hospitals is significant; studies suggest that shifting just over 10% of imaging volume from hospital-based settings to alternative sites could save the U.S. healthcare system between $113.8 billion and $147.7 billion annually. - TridentCare's CEO, Dan Buning, has signaled a clear growth strategy, hiring a Chief Growth Officer in April 2024 to spearhead expansion beyond its traditional base in skilled nursing facilities into new markets like home-based care. - DispatchHealth's core business model, which it is now focusing on, is providing ER-alternative care in the home, a service that can manage approximately 70-80% of conditions typically treated in an emergency department.
