DispatchHealth—a Denver-based home care provider backed by investors and Humana—recently acquired a mobile imaging firm as it looks to expand into radiology, the company announced Tuesday.
Professional Portable X-Ray, or PPX, operates in seven markets, with DispatchHealth adding six new geographies, initially launching their combined imaging service in Phoenix. The provider touted the popularity of its product during the pandemic and expects home care demand to hit $293.6 billion by 2026.
About 20% of DispatchHealth’s acute care visits require X-rays or ultrasound. Along with those two exams, PPX also delivers electrocardiography, ultrasound, doppler and bone density scans to the patient’s bedside within an hour of a referrer’s request.
“This overall volume will only continue to grow as we expand into new markets,” CEO and co-founder Mark Prather, MD, MBA, said April 27. “We look forward to expanding PPX’s innovative platform into our larger markets while simultaneously activating our services in its current markets.”
The two parties did not disclose terms of the deal. PPX currently operates in Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. With growing demand amid the pandemic, DispatchHealth recently partnered with Humana to provide imaging to its health plan members at home. Investors have also taken notice, as the provider just recently raised $200 million in funding, led by Tiger Global Management; Alta Partners, Echo Health Ventures and Humana also contributed.
Around since 1989 and based in Burnsville, Minnesota, PPX delivers imaging to both private homes and long-term care facilities. Following the acquisition, it will integrate into DispatchHealth’s clinical offerings that include acute, advanced and extended care. Any patient can coordinate such acute care via the web, while extended and advanced services are offered to those who previously required facility-based care.
“By integrating our expertise in mobile imaging with DispatchHeath’s unique technology-enabled care model, the company is uniquely positioned to become the marketplace for in-home healthcare services nationwide,” Professional Portable X-Ray CEO and co-founder Sue McNamee said in a statement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.