Louisiana: Custom Solution

Louisiana’s Mercy Regional Medical Center serves more than 97,000 patients annually and is continually expanding. The 109-bed acute care hospital was formed in April 2010, merging Villa Platte Medical Center and Acadian Medical Center – located in Ville Platte and Eunice, LA, respectively.

In particular, the Eunice campus was looking to double its cardiology services to the community, as it hosts one of the top 100 cardiologists in the country. This volume expansion put a strain on the campus’ resources. That’s why in 2011 CFO Michael Fontenot was given the task of finding a high-quality yet fiscally sound interim Cath Lab solution.

“We needed someone who would work with us within our guidelines and costs,” Fontenot said. “My goal was to keep it [the solution] within our budget, but still have a high-quality unit.”

Mercy Regional Medical Center had previous experience with another Mobile Cath Lab supplier—albeit a negative one.“

There were multiple maintenance issues – and they did not want to take responsibility,” Fontenot said of the experience. “The equipment cost thousands of dollars, and it was unreliable.”

In his search for a new solution, Fontenot found Modular Devices. After his initial inquiry and quote request, a team of Modular Devices experts was headed to directly to Eunice so they could evaluate the hospital’s project and needs.

The first step was to immediately bring in a reliable Mobile Cath Lab to replace the one from the other supplier. Once the replacement Mobile Lab was delivered the plan quickly turned into looking at an interim Modular Lab as a better long-term solution for Mercy Regional Medical Center.

Several meetings took place before the delivery of the Modular Cath Lab – an integral piece of Modular Devices’ procedures that ensures a seamless installation and setup. Throughout this communication process, Modular Devices was empowered to not only understand the hospital’s needs, but to provide services that would surpass expectations.

“We knew what we were looking for to start off with,” Fontenot explained. “We were considering technology that we were currently using, that our cardiologist was already using and liked. Modular Devices recommended another unit, of higher quality, but within the same budget. They helped us come up with a more efficient piece of equipment, rather than what we originally were looking for.

”Furthermore, Fontenot was on a tight deadline to get the project underway, and Modular Devices was ready to deliver.“

Our projects are very capital-sensitive,” he said. “Any capital that is not spent by the end of the year due to an uncompleted project is lost. So, it was imperative to make sure everything was done. Modular Devices definitely held up their end and did what they said they’d do.”

Since the implementation of its new Modular Cath Lab, Fontenot reported that the procedural flow at the Eunice campus is much more efficient.“

Everything is now contained to its respective area because the lab is so well integrated into the current building,” he said.

Mercy Regional Medical Center is currently leasing a Modular Devices Modular Cath Lab and is considering purchasing the unit. Fontenot was so pleased with his Modular Devices experience that he recently recommended us to the medical center’s sister hospital for a similar expansion project.

“Modular Devices was very willing to work with us on what we needed,” he confirmed. “I told them our requirements, and they came up with a solution to meet our particularly rigorous restrictions. They made it work for us and gave us the tools to get the job done.”