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OPINIONS
Voice of the people
Mobile radiography a needed service
I read the story regarding OnSite Digital Radiology Services winning the appeal decision at the Offices of Judges in reference to the certificate of need approved Aug. 14 for mobile Digital Radiography service in all 55 counties of West Virginia. As a nursing home owner of Madison Park Health Care, I would like to first applaud the West Virginia Health Care Authority for granting the certificate and secondly, I would like to applaud the Offices of Judges, for agreeing with the decision.
We have been in desperate need of a second mobile imaging provider on a statewide basis, and the approval of the OnSite decision now gives all nursing homes and home care providers in the state a choice. With all of the other ancillary services we receive in the facilities, we have multiple choices of vendors.
I find it very suspect that six hospitals (Wheeling Hospital, Raleigh General Hospital, Logan General Hospital, Plateau Medical Center, Greenbrier Medical Center, Bluefield Medical Center) requested the appeal along with the only current statewide provider of mobile imaging services, Quality Mobile Imaging. Why would these six hospitals throw their support behind the current statewide provider? It seems to be a significant amount of wasted legal dollars spent by the hospitals that are not even in the business of offering mobile imaging services to nursing homes or home care providers or make a profit from plain X-rays in the hospital setting.
Also, the hospitals should want a choice of mobile imaging providers since they use them for their own home care divisions. Again, very suspect as to why they would appeal, when the hospitals are not in the business of providing mobile imaging services and plain X-ray is not a profit center in the hospital setting.
Ron McCall
Huntington
