Small-town Montana hospital keeps care local and continuous through remote scanning partnership
For small and rural hospitals, maintaining consistent imaging coverage can be one of the most difficult operational challenges—and one of the most critical to patient care.
Staffing shortages, reliance on temporary contracts and unexpected gaps in coverage can quickly lead to patient transfers to larger hospitals miles away, even several hours away. That was the reality facing Dahl Memorial Hospital in Ekalaka, MT, until it incorporated a remote scanning model that allowed patients to receive diagnostic imaging locally, even when on- site staffing was limited.
By partnering with a RemoteRadTech—a remote radiology technologist support company that helps hospitals, imaging centers and urgent care providers maintain continuous MRI and CT operations—the Dahl Memorial Hospital gained access to experienced remote technologists who could support imaging exams in real time, ensuring continuity of service without disrupting patient care.
Now that we have remote technologists scanning our patients, we not only have consistent coverage, but we can also keep care local,” says Darrell Messersmith, Dahl Memorial Hospital’s CEO.
Before implementing remote scanning, the hospital often faced difficult choices when coverage gaps
arose—particularly during nights, weekends or unexpected absences. In some cases, patients had to be transferred to regional medical centers for imaging, adding time, cost and stress for patients and their families.
“By moving to a remote scanning model, we’re no longer paying for idle time associated with traveler contracts or facing gaps that force us to transfer patients elsewhere,” says Messersmith.
Continuity of care seamlessly balances with keeping care local
“With our remote technologists operating imaging equipment through secure, real-time technology, the hospital can now maintain imaging services when they are needed most,” says Flavio Lanes, CEO of RemoteRadTech.
“Patients remain under the care of familiar clinical teams, while providers receive timely diagnostic information to guide treatment decisions.” The shift also brought financial predictability and scalability—two factors that are especially important for smaller healthcare organizations. “We now have a secure scanning system that is immediately accessible, scalable, financially responsible and guarantees that our community has consistent access to local trauma and routine
care,” says Messersmith.
For patients and clinicians, the benefits are tangible.
Instead of traveling long distances for routine or urgent scans, they can remain close to home and receive care in a setting they trust. For clinicians, imaging availability supports faster diagnoses and smoother care coordination
For Messersmith, it’s also about continuity of care — especially when it’s needed most. “There was one instance where a patient came to our ER, presenting with stroke symptoms. We were able to have RemoteRadTech immediately scan the patient, avoiding a four-hour ambulance transport to the nearest hospital. Essentially, their remote scanning services helped us efficiently pinpoint and diagnose the patient, and initiate proper life-saving treatment immediately, right here in our emergency room,” he says.
As hospitals across the country seek ways to sustain essential services amid workforce shortages, this small-town hospital’s experience highlights how remote scanning can strengthen local healthcare delivery. By closing coverage gaps without sacrificing quality or fiscal responsibility, remote imaging enables hospitals to continue serving their communities—right where patients need them most—no matter where they’re located.