How Ordering Mobile Imaging Works for Your Practice
Ordering imaging should not feel like a project. Too often it means portal logins, prior-authorization back-and-forth, and coordinating a patient trip before anyone can even schedule the study. Mobile imaging with Big Sky is built to be simpler. Here is exactly how the process works, from the moment you decide a patient needs a study to the moment the results land back with you.
Step one: you place the order
It starts with a provider's order, which is always required. When you determine that a patient needs imaging, you place the order with us, either online through our referral form or by phone. There is no portal to learn and no new software to install. Tell us the study you need, the clinical reason, and the best location and contact for the patient. That is the whole ask on your end.
Step two: we schedule and dispatch
Once the order is in, our team takes it from there. We confirm the details, schedule the visit, and dispatch a technician in your region. For most patients that means we come to them, whether that is a home, a clinic, a skilled nursing facility, or another site. Patients who can travel can also be seen at one of our regional clinics. Either way, the patient does not have to navigate a hospital imaging department, and your staff does not have to manage the logistics.
Step three: the study is performed on site
Our technician arrives with portable equipment and completes the study where the patient is. We offer X-ray, ultrasound, echocardiograms, and EKGs. For X-ray and EKG, same-day service is the standard in covered markets, so a study you order in the morning can often be done that day. We only offer a modality where we can genuinely deliver it, so if you are ever unsure what is available in your area, a quick call settles it.
Step four: results come back to you
After the study, the images or tracings go to our teleradiology partner, Rapid Radiology, for interpretation. Most X-ray reads are returned the same day, and echocardiogram reads are typically back within 24 hours. You get the findings you need to make decisions promptly, closing the loop while the clinical picture is still fresh.
Payment made predictable
We keep the money side straightforward too. Cash pay is accepted, which is clear and direct for self-pay and rural patients, and Medicare and Medicaid are accepted as well. There is no insurance authorization required to move forward with scheduling, so a patient's care is not stuck waiting on paperwork before the study can even be set.
Setting up a steady rhythm
If your practice or facility orders imaging regularly, we can establish a recurring pattern so orders move even faster and your team always knows what to expect. Many practices, SNFs, rural clinics, and correctional facilities across our service area work with us this way for reliable, repeatable access.
The bottom line
You order, we schedule and dispatch, the study is done on site, and results come back read by Rapid Radiology. That is mobile imaging without the friction. When you are ready to place an order or want to talk through what it would look like for your practice, reach out and we will help you get started.