Healthcare on the Move

Healthcare on the Move: Mobility, wheels help redesign and reinvigorate rounding where healthcare is needed.

https://www.jhconline.com/wp-content/uploads/JHC-July2025.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawLcsPJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFPM1gyblFYOTNCbHM3WnVGAR7d179wpJXenJc_6nW1LS9I48vLKxxghvksoFQ9uSexxWHBIrJrNS00I9Q-bw_aem_nNcbN-S_wXE3uielA6iRPw

Delivering healthcare may not require walls, roofs or even buildings. Rather, a set of wheels may be just what the doctor ordered to cover remote, rural or underserved areas and to provide hands-on patient service in far-flung locations with heightened demand.

Perhaps no one knows this better than Travis and Amanda LeFever, who founded, created and developed in 2020 a company that builds and deploys patient-centric mobile health clinics for hospitals and other healthcare providers in underserved communities. Since inception during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mission Mobile Medical has deployed more than 200 turnkey, customized mobile health units in 42 states and Canada.

By reconfiguring and outfitting charter coaches into rolling clinics, the LeFevers sought to solve a host of challenges experienced by people in rural and other geographically distant communities that may not have access to healthcare. Patients in these areas can face a shortage of available local providers, limited access to transportation and financial constraints. The pandemic may have brought telehealth forward as a workable option, but patients and caregivers alike have found some limits to the scope of physical examinations.

Further, the emphasis on telehealth emerged somewhat parallel to increasing concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity. Technical difficulties also complicated matters, particularly if patients in these areas lacked access to technology for digital conferencing with clinicians, which also affected the patient-clinician relationship

Rather than establish a stationary facility and bring a community to it for healthcare services, the LeFevers flipped the concept to bring a mobile facility to an established community as the optimal strategy to fulfill healthcare needs. To discuss their mobile healthcare model, including how they keep the rolling clinics stocked with supplies, Travis and Amanda LeFever shared their clinical and operational passion with The Journal of Healthcare Contracting in an exclusive interview.

JHC: Mission Mobile Medical provides healthcare infrastructure via mobile health programs to offer healthcare to underserved areas and populations, but how does it compare to telemedicine as an option, particularly if an urban or suburban healthcare system offers that as an opportunity to reach rural settings? What makes a physical presence preferred over a virtual one?

Travis LeFever (TL): Telehealth is a clinical service provided by almost every mobile health program in every Use Case. Piping in expertise from far away is complementary to what we’re supporting for a health system, which is efficiently delivered healthcare to every corner of their current catchment area.

You know, if you’re tech-savvy and have relatively routine needs, telehealth tech enables a patient like me to not have to travel when it’s inconvenient, like when my kid has another ear infection. We all know it’s an ear infection, we all know the protocol and prescription, but the pediatrician doesn’t want us cluttering up her clinic any more than we want to take off work for another five-minute visit. So, we call in for a telehealth visit.

Stark differences come into play when folks aren’t tech-savvy, like our elderly population, or in the many rural American communities who don’t have reliable access to fast internet. In these cases, an in-person clinician-assisted telehealth visit at the closest mobile clinic, with no waiting, is far more efficient and productive.

Amanda LeFever (AL): I’ll second the kid’s ear-infection thing – it’s wildly convenient. Our clients see Telemedicine and Mobile Health as complementary. Think about it – we’re piping an Oncology, Cardiology, or Neurology expert into a small town where those appointments, in every other scenario, are miles and months away. No one wants to feel alone, and when you’re scared or sick, no one wants to wait for reassurance or relief.

JHC: A leading accounting and advisory firm surveyed leaders at rural healthcare organizations who responded that they are optimistic about their financial viability even though fiscal concerns and reimbursements remain a significant challenge, they are “not likely” to consolidate or merge with another organization, and they express serious concerns about cybersecurity. How do you respond to and fit within that mindset?

TL: Those are two wildly different topics, but I’ll try. Rural healthcare teams are incredibly resilient – they are honed razor sharp in a tough environment. They come from families and communities who, for generations, have been forced to make the most of scarce resources, and soldier through tough times. My experience is that consolidation isn’t for everyone. Success in Healthcare is local, not corporate.

Regarding cybersecurity – I’m with them. Everyone should be extremely concerned. When it comes to digital banking, today’s business leaders are surrounded by strangers, invisibly working around the clock to rob your organization just like desperados used to break into banks and walk out with your cash. The sooner that we, as leaders, admit we don’t understand the risks around cybersecurity and let our IT professionals lead in those areas, and give them resources, the better.

AL: I think about cybersecurity more from the perspective of Mobile Health operations. We work with client IT teams daily to ensure the programs, outside the four walls, meet the same compliance and security standards as every other healthcare facility, from HIPAA-compliant telehealth setups to data encryption and secure imaging.

JHC: How does Mission Mobile Medical get the opportunity to work with underserved patient populations and care communities? Do you contract with interested hospitals, hospital systems, and integrated delivery networks (IDNs) to expand their service reach, or do you contract with community care organizations, local and state governmental agencies, and payers? A variety of providers and service organizations?

TL: We contract with health systems. We help them identify care gaps in rural communities, then use predictive analytics (AI) to pinpoint where care is needed the most and the savings providing that care might generate for the stakeholders.

Then we collaborate with community stakeholders to co-design the program and engage the patients. Because our costs are so low (we’re vertically integrated), we’re able to bridge quality and care gaps in a way that’s extremely costefficient and very effective.

AL: Trust is the key. Our organization is a B-Corp (nearly certified – yay!) and there to serve the community, so we first ask what services they need and want. As the saying goes, ‘Nothing about us, without us.’ We work with community partners, meeting with health centers, who are our favorite partners, then health departments, churches, advocacy groups – anyone who plays a role in connecting people to care.

Stakeholders have been very supportive. We were even fortunate enough to earn federal support for designing the next generation mobile care delivery platform, in an ARPA-H award of up to $26 million, which will expand our efforts to make an even bigger impact in rural and underserved areas.

JHC: When you partner with hospitals, healthcare systems, and IDNs, how does your internal supply chain work to support the contracted Mission Mobile Medical vehicle?

Do you piggyback off the client’s negotiated supply and service contracts for products and equipment, or do you negotiate and maintain your own product and service contracts to implement as an extension of your client’s? What happens if the suppliers and vendors you use differ from what the client uses? Do your clients book your supply chain business partners as “purchased services” on their expense sheets?

TL: We’re a Managed Services Organization with our own supply chain. To be clear, we’re not a physician group – we contract with payers (and others) to standardize these operations and aggregate value in the chain, so when health systems are ready to efficiently distribute their resources in their catchment area and improve outcomes, they get paid for those improvements. We provide standardized systems of evidence-based predictive analytics, plus equipment, workforce support and staffing. On the operations end, we provide the infrastructure to capture clean data and illustrate the difference they are making. 

AL: Transparency and flexibility are key to making these partnerships successful. We work in value-based, cost-plus, or fixed-fee agreements – whatever the health plan and health systems need to do the work. Plus, we take care of compliance – ensuring every program meets regulatory and accreditation requirements so there’s no red tape slowing down patient care. It’s a complete endto-end approach, making it easier for our healthcare partners to focus on delivering care, not managing logistics.

JHC: Do you negotiate your own supply, service and equipment contracts or do you work with any of the group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in the industry, such as Vizient, Premier, HealthTrust or others? What makes the most sense for Mission Mobile Medical and why?

TL: For Operations, we manage our own supply chain, of course. For clinical supplies, the satellite clinics restock at their brick-and-mortar ‘Home Base’ and leverage their own GPOs. That process takes advantage of the client’s existing supply chain, complements their existing inventory systems and prevents conflicts. That makes the most sense for our clients.

JHC: Do you equip each of your Mission Mobile Medical units with a supply cabinet of some sort? If so, is it automated (for tracking and tracing aspects) or manual? How is stock replenished within a vehicle? Do you rely on primary or third-party distributor trucks, vans or even drones? Or do you rely on a client’s consolidated service center (CSC) or internal logistics service?

TL: Five questions. I can do it. Drones are on the way, but not quite yet. Most programs schedule times back at a brick-andmortar location for regular resupply. It’s not overly complicated. Most programs are focused on primary and preventive care, so the supply requirements aren’t expansive.

AL: I can’t wait for the Healthcare Drone Superhighway. There’s some cool tech coming out of some universities in Texas.

JHC: HA! Good point! Hopefully, there’s a dedicated FAA division for drones! Kidding aside, though, how are your Mission Mobile Medical teams and “movable exam rooms” fortified with products to use on patients? I know how it works for hospitals, ASCs, clinics, physician practices, etc., but how does that work for you?

TL: On a regular basis, the staff re-supplies the clinic from Home Base, usually a nearby brick-and-mortar client location in the community we’re serving. They go inside the facility, take supplies out of the supply closet or OTC medication area, log them into the program, and then put them inside the mobile clinic parked outside.

JHC: Mission Mobile Medical offers a variety of services to clients – from clinical (e.g., exams and treatment), dental, and educational outreach to research laboratory, transportation, and workforce development. Are you considering or have you considered adding diagnostic imaging and/or outpatient medical/surgical procedures to your repertoire? Why?

TL: Consider our value-add as ‘managing movable exam rooms.’ It’s not more complicated than that. Those exam rooms can support diagnostic imaging but aren’t particularly suited to surgical procedures.

However, our ARPA-H work addresses that. In two-to-three years, health systems will be delivering hospital-level care to Rural America on an integrated care delivery platform. For example, conditions like breast cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular issues require imaging for early detection, but many patients in rural areas don’t have access to these services without driving hours to a facility.

By integrating mobile diagnostic imaging, we can help healthcare systems reach these patients before their conditions become acute, which ultimately lowers costs and improves outcomes. The same applies to minor outpatient procedures – if we can prevent an emergency room visit with mobile surgical capabilities, that’s a win for both the patient and the healthcare system.

AL: We’re already witnessing strong demand for these services, and we’ve been collaborating with our health system partners to evaluate what is both feasible and impactful in a mobile setting.

Our approach has always relied on data, and we assess where these services can be most effectively deployed without compromising care quality. At the end of the day, for years, these efforts have been fragmented. We’re bringing them together, and our capabilities are a new standard intervention for community health disparities and data to document the outcomes.

We want health systems to say, ‘Oh, there’s a care gap in this community. Let’s get a mobile health program in there – call Mission Mobile Medical.’

JHC: Earlier, Black Box Research released the results of an independent survey of healthcare organizations that found surging interest in adopting virtual care platforms, as well as active use of AI-driven remote patient monitoring, virtual hospitals, virtual nursing and telehealth solutions to optimize care delivery, which includes improving clinical outcomes, reducing clinician burnout and enhancing patient access, according to BBR. As the healthcare industry continues to migrate toward “hybrid care models,” which factor in nonacute care facilities and virtual healthcare opportunities, how does Mission Mobile Medical fit in with these plans vs. compete with them?

TL: I haven’t seen that survey, so I can’t comment. But it sounds like you’re asking about new combinations of the things we know work with additional tools. Everyone wants the same thing – better outcomes at lower costs. And one path to that goal is to develop tools that save labor and reduce overhead. What you’re describing is, in some ways, the Home Depot of Healthcare – this row after row of tools helps us all work and live better in this industry.

AL: We fit in two ways. In this analogy, Mobile Health satellite networks are toolboxes full of those tools you talked about, delivered to the work sites where the work is, with an expert on board or on-call. 

Traditional healthcare involves going to the doctor and waiting; mobile health involves the doctor coming to your community and waiting. Wherever a patient engages a clinician, they will have tools.

Our vision is to reduce the distance between the patient and the provider (who has the tools and the knowledge to use them or train the patient how to use them). Another research firm, Chartis, showed that “46% of rural hospitals are in the red and vulnerable to closure,” which can lead to “health deserts.” How can Mission Mobile Health populate those emerging deserts with oases that are not mirages?

AL: When health systems contact one of our Market Development team members, we typically walk through a Rapid Community Needs Assessment, run data for predictive analytics, and create a financial model with a fully loaded cost profile and net benefits.

We identify the financial stakeholders the health system is engaged with and how they should or could partner in the program. We also contract with the payers and partner with the health system in a valuebased care agreement to control costs and improve quality measures, especially for unable-to-reach patients. 

TL: We combine best practices for care navigation and case management with increased convenience. We’re the only company in the country that can do this at scale and at risk.

For more information about Mission Mobile Medical, visit their website at www.missionmobilemed.com. 

https://www.jhconline.com/wp-content/uploads/JHC-July2025.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawLcsPJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFPM1gyblFYOTNCbHM3WnVGAR7d179wpJXenJc_6nW1LS9I48vLKxxghvksoFQ9uSexxWHBIrJrNS00I9Q-bw_aem_nNcbN-S_wXE3uielA6iRPw