Mobile CT Unit Financial Model

Description

The model covers the full lifecycle of a single mobile CT unit business: from acquisition of the truck‑mounted scanner complex to daily operations, crew management and service logistics. Capital outlay typically ranges from USD 0.5 to 1.2 million depending on scanner specification and trailer configuration (these are indicative orders of magnitude, not final figures).

At the core of the revenue engine is a modality‑specific scan mix — non‑contrast, contrast‑enhanced and CT angiography — each with its own scan duration, contrast consumption and pricing logic. The operational calendar reflects travel days between sites, seasonal demand swings, preventive maintenance slots and regulatory downtime, directly determining achievable scan volume per month.

The financial block dissects the mobile service’s unique cost structure: remote teleradiology reporting (per‑study fee or monthly retainer), contrast media wastage and protocol‑driven volumes, mileage‑dependent fuel and vehicle upkeep, and service contracts for the scanner with uptime guarantees. Revenue recognition is modeled through a blended payer mix with average collection lags, while financing options include lease‑to‑own structures for the trailer and equipment loans with balloon payments.

Modeling specifics

• Dual‑asset depreciation: trailer/tractor (shorter life, mileage‑based) and CT scanner (medical equipment life) with separate tax shields and residual values — prevents blending that would distort free cash flow.
• Site‑to‑site logistics model: travel days, setup/teardown time and non‑scanning downtime are explicitly scheduled, preventing overstatement of billable scan hours.
• Remote radiology cost engine: per‑scan fees or monthly retainer, automatically scaling with volume, and accounting for STAT vs. routine turnaround cost differences.
• Contrast media economics: cost per mL, variable uptake by modality (0 mL, 75–120 mL, 150+ mL) and a wastage factor — stops margin erosion from consumables.
• Service contract structure: fixed annual maintenance fee plus variable per‑scan component, escalation tied to scanner age, and uptime guarantee penalties — reflects real‑world full‑risk or shared‑risk contracts.
• Operational calendar with demand seasonality: monthly scan day allocation adjusted for holidays, weather‑related closures and planned preventive maintenance, avoiding unrealistic flat‑line utilization.

What's included in the base version

• Capital expenditure schedule (scanner, trailer build, IT, initial training) with phased drawdowns
• Depreciation schedule for mobile trailer and medical equipment, including tax impact
• Revenue model: modality scan volumes (non‑contrast, contrast, CT angiography), payer mix and price list
• Variable costs: contrast media per modality, consumables per scan, remote radiology per‑study fee, staff cost per scan hour
• Fixed costs: trailer lease or ownership costs, vehicle insurance, fuel (route‑based), scanner maintenance contract, remote radiology base retainer
• Crew scheduling and payroll: radiographer shifts, driver/technician, travel allowances, overtime and locum coverage
• Financing module: senior debt with sculpted repayment, balloon option, lease‑to‑own for trailer
• Three‑statement model (P&L, Cash flow, Balance sheet) with monthly granularity
• Key metrics dashboard: utilization rate, EBITDA margin, breakeven scan volume, debt service coverage

Common modeling mistakes

• Ignoring travel days and non‑scanning time between sites — effective scan days drop by 15–25%, overstating annual revenue in the same proportion.
• Depreciating the trailer and CT scanner over the same life — inflates tax shield or underestimates replacement capex, distorting IRR by 200–300 basis points.
• Using a flat contrast media cost per scan without protocol‑specific volumes and wastage — net margins can be overstated by 5–10 percentage points.
• Omitting remote radiology reporting as a per‑scan variable cost — understates total variable expense by USD 25–45 per exam, making the unit contribution look unrealistically strong.
• Applying a constant monthly utilization rate without seasonal outpatient demand drops — creates cash flow gaps in low‑volume months that standard DSCR calculations miss.