Is your mobile health program ready to sustain?
A readiness checklist for mobile health providers at every stage — from first vehicle to long-term viability.
Stage 1 — Pre-Launch
Before the vehicle arrives
The most common mistake in mobile health is acquiring the vehicle before building the program. These items should be in place — or actively in progress — before deployment begins.
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We have completed a community health needs assessment that identifies specific gaps our mobile program will address.
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We have identified and confirmed at least three host site partners (schools, employers, housing authorities, clinics, faith communities, etc.).
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We have a signed host site agreement template that defines responsibilities, scheduling, and liability for each deployment location.
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We have a deployment schedule for the first 90 days that is driven by documented demand, not vehicle availability.
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We have a written business plan that includes a five-year financial model and identifies our payer mix.
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We have identified which Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial billing codes apply to the services we will deliver.
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We understand our program's grant dependency ratio and have a plan for diversifying revenue beyond the initial funding cycle.
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We have a staffing model that specifies roles, cross-training requirements, and minimum credentials for mobile operations.
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We have identified how we will credential, schedule, and manage staff working across multiple sites and settings.
Stage 2 — Launch
First 90 days of operation
The launch phase is when most programs discover the gaps they didn't plan for. These items ensure the program is generating revenue, documentation, and community trust from day one.
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We are deploying the mobile unit as part of a coordinated care model that includes community health workers, referral pathways, or telehealth — not as a standalone vehicle.
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We have a defined referral process for connecting patients to follow-up care, both within our organization and with external providers.
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We have reliable connectivity and technology on the vehicle to support documentation, scheduling, and telehealth where applicable.
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We are documenting every encounter in a format that supports billing and connects to the patient's clinical record.
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We are tracking referral completion — not just referrals made, but whether services were actually received.
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We have a KPI dashboard — even a basic one — that we review at least monthly to track encounter volume, utilization, and service delivery against plan.
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We are submitting claims for reimbursable services from the first month of operation — not waiting until the grant cycle ends.
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We are tracking our actual costs versus projected costs and have a process for flagging budget variances before they become crises.
Stage 3 — Sustaining
Beyond the first funding cycle
This is where most programs stall. Sustaining a mobile health program requires moving from grant-dependent to revenue-generating — and building the relationships and evidence base to do so.
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We have approached at least one payer — Medicaid managed care, commercial insurer, or employer — with a performance-based case for a sustained contract or value-based arrangement.
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We have explored Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Chronic Care Management (CCM) billing codes for eligible patient populations we serve.
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We have at least one employer or community partner contributing non-grant revenue in exchange for mobile health services at their site or for their population.
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We have 12 months of documented outcomes data that we can present to payers, funders, and community partners to demonstrate program value.
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Our community-delivered care is connected to the clinical record through health information exchange (HIE) or a comparable integration.
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We can demonstrate a measurable increase in utilization — encounters, referral completion, or patient engagement — since program launch.
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We have a workforce retention strategy — not just a hiring plan — that addresses the specific pressures of mobile health operations including variable schedules and cross-site work.
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Our community health workers are integrated into the care model — not just as support staff, but as active drivers of patient engagement, referral completion, and program utilization.
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Our program could continue operating through a key staff departure without significant disruption — we have documented processes, not just institutional knowledge.
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Your readiness stage
Work through the checklist above to see where your program stands across all three stages of mobile health sustainability.
Maryland Partnership for Prevention — a nonprofit mobile health provider
immunizemaryland.org (opens in a new tab)
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mobilehealthnetwork.net (opens in a new tab)
Based on the Mobile Health Sustainability Framework
From Vehicle to Viable · Maryland Partnership for Prevention · 2025