North Mississippi Health Services and MedQuest Associates Expand Outpatient Imaging Partnership

North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) and MedQuest Associates today announced that they have expanded their outpatient imaging partnership, with MedQuest acquiring a minority ownership interest in Medical Imaging, LLC, which operates Medical Imaging at Barnes Creek and Medical Imaging on Crossover in Tupelo. Medical Imaging is a joint venture between NMHS and Premier Radiology, a local radiology group that provides professional radiology coverage to the centers and to North Mississippi Medical Center.

In the first phase of the relationship, NMHS purchased a majority interest in The Imaging Center in Tupelo in late 2016 and, in doing so, partnered with MedQuest Associates, a leading national outpatient imaging center owner/operator and the manager of the center.
Under the terms of the agreement announced today, MedQuest has begun managing the daily operations of the Barnes Crossing and Crossover outpatient imaging centers.

“Our communities will greatly benefit from our combination of the best radiology and imaging professionals in the region with the best imaging center operators in the region,” said M. Shane Spees, NMHS president and CEO. “The new partnership also enhances our effort to provide patients with convenient access to the best diagnostic tests available and gives physicians and practitioners instant access to important diagnostic test results for their patients.”

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with NMHS and take on a new partner in Premier Radiology,” said Bruce Elder, CEO of MedQuest. “This second phase of our joint venture will allow us to provide fully integrated outpatient imaging to patients and physicians in the Tupelo area and to work even more closely with our radiologist partners to optimize services across centers.”

Medical Imaging at Barnes Crossing, located at 891 Mississippi Drive, and Medical Imaging on Crossover, at 616 Crossover Road, are dedicated to providing a full range of high-quality diagnostic imaging services to the local community that are convenient and affordable. To learn more about the facilities, visit www.nmhs.net/medical_imaging.php. Additional information regarding these two centers as well as The Imaging Center, located at 320 South Gloster Street, can be found at www.tictupelo.com.

About North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS)
North Mississippi Health Services serves 24 counties in north Mississippi and northwest Alabama from headquarters in Tupelo, MS. NMHS includes acute diagnostic and therapeutic services offered through North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo; a community hospital system with locations in Eupora, Iuka, Pontotoc and West Point, MS, and Hamilton, AL.; North Mississippi Medical Clinics, a regional network of primary and specialty clinics; and nursing homes, telehealth services and a comprehensive portfolio of managed care plans. NMHS connects its patients and their families with convenient access to healthcare that is cost effective and of the highest quality. To learn more, visit www.nmhs.net.

About MedQuest Associates
MedQuest is a leading owner, operator and manager of diagnostic imaging facilities with a network of nearly 50 imaging centers under management. As one of the nation’s most experienced outpatient imaging partners, MedQuest provides comprehensive services, including outpatient imaging management and joint venture (JV), and referring physician engagement. Serving health systems, hospitals and imaging centers nationwide, MedQuest draws upon decades of operational experience and industry knowledge to deliver comprehensive guidance and solutions that increase revenue and optimize operations, while improving quality and the patient experience. MedQuest’s industry-leading proprietary systems and processes create an unrivaled value proposition for its partners. Learn more at www.mqradiology.com.

MedQuest Signs Joint Venture Agreements with Multiple Health Systems, Emerges as Leading Outpatient Imaging Partner

In today’s healthcare environment with unprecedented pressure on providers to develop cost-effective and accessible diagnostic imaging networks, MedQuest Associates has emerged as a leading outpatient radiology partner for hospitals and health systems. Focusing on the outpatient imaging business exclusively for over 24 years, MedQuest is one of the largest, most experienced and most successful providers in the country, currently managing a network of 45 imaging centers across seven states.

“MedQuest leverages its deep expertise in outpatient imaging to focus on partnerships with hospital and health systems. We have seen strong interest and entered into multiple agreements for our comprehensive services, which are headlined by outpatient imaging management and joint ventures (JV) and referring physician engagement,” stated Bruce Elder, CEO of Atlanta-based MedQuest. “We specialize in delivering quality outpatient imaging at economically sustainable and consumer-friendly rates, which is increasingly important as patients bear a greater share of healthcare costs.”

“MedQuest brings more than two decades of experience to partnering with hospitals and health systems in outpatient imaging,” said Elder. “The capabilities we have developed as one of the leading companies in the industry can deliver better performance, enhanced patient experience and increased market share for our partners.”

To fulfill its goal of serving as a long-term operating partner for a hospital or health system, MedQuest can make a capital commitment and serve as the full turnkey manager of imaging centers, ensuring the highest likelihood of maximum performance for all of the partners. MedQuest also offers its partners flexibility in joint venture structures and equity arrangements.
MedQuest’s recent partnerships and major relationships with health systems include:

  • University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, University of Maryland Diagnostic Imaging Specialists, PA and MedQuest Associates entered into a joint venture to develop and operate a full-modality outpatient diagnostic imaging center in La Plata, Maryland. University of Maryland Charles Regional Imaging recently opened with MedQuest managing the day-to-day operations of the center.
  • North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) has purchased a majority interest in The Imaging Center in Tupelo and partnered with MedQuest as a joint venture partner in the business. MedQuest purchased a minority interest in the center and has assumed management of daily operations.
  • FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc., MedQuest and its affiliates have partnered to operate FirstHealth Southern Pines Diagnostic Imaging, an existing outpatient diagnostic imaging facility located in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
  • Novant Health, a 15-hospital integrated delivery network, relies on MedQuest to manage its entire portfolio of outpatient imaging centers and mobile imaging assets across North Carolina.

About MedQuest Associates
MedQuest is a leading owner, operator and manager of diagnostic imaging facilities with a network of 45 imaging centers under management. As one of the nation’s most experienced outpatient imaging partners, MedQuest provides comprehensive services, including outpatient imaging management and joint venture (JV), and referring physician engagement. Serving health systems, hospitals and imaging centers nationwide, MedQuest draws upon decades of operational experience and industry knowledge to deliver comprehensive guidance and solutions that increase revenue and optimize operations, while improving quality and the patient experience. MedQuest’s industry-leading proprietary systems and processes create an unrivaled value proposition for its partners. Learn more at www.mqradiology.com.