“In-Depth Mobile Radiology” - A Marketing Plan

Background
IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY is a new medical staffing and mobile diagnostic company that caters to medical facilities that are in need of our services. Our company provides a couple of types of service who are in need of diagnostic machines or technologists.
The first type of service is acquiring trailer truck based mobile MRI or CT scanner machines or providing ultrasound and mobile x-ray machines. The market is open for medical facilities, nursing homes or rehabilitation centers that do not have their own diagnostic equipment and instead of purchasing their own machine that cost so much our company can offer our services to bring our mobile machines into their facilities parked outside gets all their procedures done for the cheapest price possible.
The second type of service is staffing for surgical centers or medical facilities providing technologists that would operate the advanced fluoroscopic x-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound, bone density and other medical diagnostic equipment that needs a certification to operate. Most medical facilities have procedures daily but not all of their cases need x-ray, so it would be best for them to hire a temp rather than have a regular tech.
IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY will base its main facility in the area of Palm Springs and Indio California by the 10 freeway for easier access to walk in clients. After surveying the area of southern California, we found that the Palm Springs area is one of the top 25 places to retire and we saw the need for our mobile radiology service by marketing to the retirement facilities in the district. Palm Springs is a perfect location to retire to because it’s appeal has the feel of living in the desert town. This feature would attract retirees who lived in the east coast where it is cold most of the year. In this area residents get 332 days of annual sunshine, 360-degree views of the mountains, and as much culture and design as they can pack in along with outdoor dessert activities.
This area would be ideal to market our services because residents mostly come from families who are financially well off, because living with those perks don't come cheap. Granted that California's taxes are higher than average, but most retirement facilities cater to the higher end of individuals meaning they would want to pay good for the quality of service we provide.

2. Strategic Focus and Plan

IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY will focus its marketing plan to set its strategic planning to succeed in its criteria and achieve a high level of recognition of providing a good quality of medical diagnostic services. There are three areas that we will discuss: mission statement, financial and nonfinancial goals, and competitive advantage
Mission Statement
To provide medical facilities or retirement establishments the service of providing mobile medical diagnostic needs for the most reasonable price.
Goals
Financial:
1. Breaking even in profits compared to losses within the next year or so as the business opens
2. Obtaining a 15% profit within a five years of service
3. Having the ability to maintain stability within the company in terms of financial status to keep the business in balanced.
4. Maintaining ways to reduce cost to provide affordable prices for our clients
5. Obtain enough financial strength to upgrade our machines to the latest technology possible
Nonfinancial:
1. Building the reputation for the company to be recognized for providing the best mobile diagnostic service in the whole area.
2. To be able to hire enough techs and acquire enough machines to cover the demand
3. Expanding our network to be able to cater to hospitals that need temporary staffing capabilities.
4. Within 10 years merge with a staffing agency for nursing and other type of medical staff
5. To create a demand for business outside the local area that provides a traveling technologist to extend our grasp.
6. Within 10 years expand to other parts of California such as Bakersfield or Northern Bay area
7. One day becoming a pioneer for providing such service in an area where such services does not exist yet.

Competitive Advantage

My main competitive advantage is the location and the ability of my company to find an area that no other business like mine currently exists. My company’s goal is to be the pioneer at being able to provide the services we provide so that we can monopolize the market. As I start my business my competitive strength with this idea would be to get to know most of the hospital directors, owners, nursing facility managers and surgery center management in the area through networking to be able to find out their medical needs and demands.
As a pioneer and being very experienced in the field, my competitive edge would be my well established network with physicians and medical directors who are willing to work with me through the reputation I built with them. Another competitive strength I have is being able to offer the best price compared to my competitors because I can link my business to the schools for radiology and I can facilitate on job training for their students (another source of income) and I can use them to provide the services needed.
Being in the industry for this long, I have known that in the world of radiology there is a bigger window for mistakes that even a student can efficiently work in a very complex environment such as an operating room as long as they follow protocols to the full extent. It is a very big advantage that I have close relationships with these physicians and facility directors because its not easy for decision makers to trust students performing their radiology needs. With my close relations with them, they knew I have an exceptional ability to train anyone how to operate the advanced medical diagnostic equipment. Because I am utilizing the labor of students I would have the luxury of paying them less or even free in exchange for an opportunity to do their externship hours compared to a real licensed technologist and have the wiggle room to reduce price compared to my competitors. I would also be partnering with a M.D radiologist to read and formally translate our diagnostic efforts to have a certified accreditation for the procedures we conduct.

3. Situational Analysis The SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis provides a brief description of the present environment in which IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY is operating. This is a quick overview of our position among internal and external forces influencing our operating strategies. Strengths Weaknesses
Internal Forces • The only mobile radiology company that offers rentals for equipment and able to staff for technologists • A very high start-up costs due to the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging units cost more than $100,000. • Well established reputation • Certain facilities might not trust students performing procedures for them • Providing convenience for the clients for them not to need transportation to get diagnostics done • Expensive maintenance costs for the machines • Offering the lowest price for the services we provide Students might not be able to live up to facility expectation • Having a good accreditation backed up by a certified radiologist Opportunities Threats
External Forces • Being the first in the area to provide such services • Hospitals who have their own equipment and diagnostic imaging facilities • Numerous high end retirement facilities because the area is an ideal place to retire • The dessert heat might cause our mobile equipment to overheat • Being in a location where not a lot of technologist would want to work at so it increases the chance of a facility acquiring our services • Other technologists who are individual contractors • Neighboring cities that have the same demand for a possible expansion Medicare or other similar types of health insurance might not want to pay for our kind of service

Competitor Analysis

When people think of x-rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultra sound the first thing they think about is going to the hospitals or clinics. The Palm Springs area is a great place to retire , so there a numerous retirement facilities or establishments there that houses senior citizens who would rather stay home than to travel outside in the dessert heat just to get their medical diagnostics done. Especially nursing homes that have patients that are bed ridden, because they do not have the capability to transport themselves to a medical facility. I would be in their tenant’s best interest if these nursing homes and retirement homes rent our machines and hire our technologist to conduct these procedures in their establishments indoors rather than travel one by one to the hospitals or clinics. Other hospitals or clinics do not even have the capability to acquire a computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging machine due to its high cost so they send their patients to diagnostic imaging centers and lose their profit to the centers instead of them being able to keep it for themselves. By renting our machines they can just pay for rental fee and they can keep whatever they can make from the procedure. As my research tells me most companies who rent our medical diagnostic equipment like we do only have the capability to provide the machines, but my company also offers the services of a technologist and a radiologist MD to read the diagnostics and compose a formal medical report.
As far as the staffing aspect of our company, I will be hiring certified technologists on call as an individual contractor and I will be working with schools and universities that have a radiology program. With our company’s accreditation to the American Registry for Radiology Technologists (ARRT), we would be able to facilitate an externship program for the students to be able to finish their on the job training hours in exchange for the services they acquire. Yes it would be easy for a student to be placed at one facility the whole time by the school for him to do his hours there, but it would be a better learning experience for the student to be able to work with our company because he will have the chance to work in several different facilities and several different doctors which will strengthen a student’s confidence in himself to be able to deal with multiple scenarios they may face once they are working in the field.
Competing against other techs for hire would be easy for us, because most facilities such as surgery centers do not have procedures every day that needs the services of a radiology technologists if x-ray is not involved. Even if they hire a tech on call, it would still be cheaper for facilities to hire our services because since I am deploying students who are not getting paid I can charge them less money than a certified tech would be paid. The concept of having a student on the job training deal with the schools will keep us ahead of the game because we have the ability to lower our price compared to other staffing agencies who hire only fully certified techs. It takes a lot of resources and effort to get accredited by the state, I am sure it would not be easy for them to have the same advantageous angle. If a facility really don’t trust students to do work I will have certified techs ready as well, but I would charge them a bit more to balance the cost.

Company Analysis

IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY is a company started by Andrew Pimentel, his circle of professional radiology technologists and Doctor Richard Hale Radiologist M.D. Each of them possess a significant amount of experience in the field of radiology to gain the reputation of providing quality healthcare towards their patients. With such recognition and skills acquired all through their years they were able to put together a team of technologists and manage students and its staff. However they will continue to expand their network to gain more knowledge and experience in the business side of the industry and be able to improve the good reputation that they already have.

IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY is just the beginning of its goals to expand and strategically marketing. Andrew and his associates hope to successfully expand to other areas to become the first ones again to monopolize the type of service they provide. Areas like Bakersfield or Fresno would most likely be the next target locations they are looking into. In order to provide high quality of service Dr. Hale and Andrew will nurture their ties with local high end universities such as UC Riverside, Loma Linda University and Kaplan College to receive top quality students with the proper training from institutes of higher learning. This relationship will also strengthen their reputation across the healthcare community and it would help expand their network. With such ties with the schools, IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY gives the students an opportunity to work closely with the local facilities and doctors to enhance their learning experience as they are faced with different medical situations from case to case basis. Students would have the chance to work with different types of facilities such as nursing homes, surgery centers and hospital to broaden their knowledge and be exposed to different work environments to be able to adapt easier when they finally graduate.

Customer Analysis
The clientele for IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY will be a wide range of different medical facilities across Palm Springs desert and its neighboring cities. The demand for the services we provide has increased in such a location that is far from urban based cities where there are companies like us who rent machines or staffing agencies.
Industry Analysis
Medical diagnostic imaging has been the eyes and ears of the healthcare industry. The need of such procedures is a necessity in order to diagnose an illness, fracture or a certain condition for physicians to be able to formulate a solution for the patient. Such procedures need technologists to operate the diagnostic equipment, so the need to supply techs is in demand. The medical diagnostic industry will benefit from IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY because of its capability to prepare students for working in different type of facilities. The company would actually have a hand in producing better techs in the future.
4. Market-Product Focus
This section describes the marketing and service development for IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY and provides information concerning the marketing and product objectives, market-product grid, target markets, points of difference, and positioning of IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY .

Marketing and Product Objectives IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY marketing aim is to promote its high quality of service as a much more convenient way to conduct medical diagnostics for medical facilities around for the lower price that other mobile radiology establishments provide. In order to accomplish this goal, DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLGY will focus on current trends, look for better ways to train our techs, keep up to date with medical technology and maintain our equipment as often as possible. The primary objective of IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY is to market our services to our current clientele as the easiest method to get procedures done at the most affordable price. Since we are located by the 10 freeway, we want to take advantage of our easy access to the freeway to be able to have flexibility on how we deploy our techs or trailer trucks to the facilities that are in need of our services. With easier access the more prompt our techs or trucks can get to the places they need to go to. Punctuality is usually a trait that our clients rate their respect to in regards to acquiring our services. Our goal is to make each client feel as if we are giving importance to their facility’s schedules and deadlines or medical affairs. We market ourselves as quality service, so we train our techs and personnel to meet our client’s standards.
IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY also has a vision of extending its services to big events such as charity walks, sporting events, marathons etc. Just in case they need a tech to operate a mobile diagnostic x-ray if someone gets injured in such activities that physical injuries can occur.

Market-Product/Services Grid
Market Segments Services Needed Diagnostic machines Avail. Technologists Total Mobile Machines Licensed Students
Medical Facilities 3 1 3 2 9
Rehabilitation Centers 1 3 1 3 8
Nursing Homes 1 2 2 1 6
3 = large 2 = medium 1 = small 0 = none

The Market-Product/Services Grid shows that the highest demand for services comes from medical facilities (total of 9 points), followed by Rehabilitation Centers (8 points), Nursing Homes (6 points). This also indicates that there are more demand in machines than the mobile services and that both licensed and student technologists are needed equally.

Target Markets
However, it is important to realize that a target market for mobile radiology and staffing needs does exist. It consists of nursing homes, retirement facilities, medical facilities, surgery centers, hospitals and smaller clinics that are in need of temporary technologist labor that would provide good quality service with a positive attitude while respecting facility protocols and following HIPPA privacy rules of patient confidentiality
IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY have two specific target markets. The first is the local residents of the retirement homes. Most of the residents there are elderly of age which are prone for injuries and in need of annual and monthly check ups that require a chest x-ray or a follow up on an existing injury. The second are the medical facilities who are in need of techs on a temporary basis. Not all the time they get cases that require the use of x-rays so its more convenient for them to just pile up their diagnostic orders in one day and hire a tech to conduct all the procedures and get them out of the way in one visit.

Points of Difference
Many characteristics set IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY apart from our competitors: • DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLGY is not only conveniently located right by the 10 freeway, but it is the only mobile radiology service provider in the whole Palm Springs area and its neighboring cities • By linking with the local universities, most of our labor force comes from radiology students. Because most of our staff works for free we have the wiggle room to offer the most affordable deal. • We do not only rent out diagnostic equipment but we can also supply techs which most of our competitors do not have
Positioning
It is the goal for IN-DEPTH MOBILE RADIOLOGY to be known by our clients to provide quality of service and products at the cheapest price. We also want our clients to view our company as a corporation that gives back to society by giving our students a better learning experience. We want our clients to think that every time they hire one of our students, they are helping us provide better technologists in the future of the industry.

Reference

Digital Radiology Market - Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis, And Forecasts 2012 – 2018. (2014). From: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/globa-digital-radiology-market.html