Radiology provider Akumin touts launch of its first movable PET/CT imaging centers
Radiology provider Akumin is touting the opening of its first movable PET/CT imaging centers.
The Plantation, Florida-based company first announced the initiative at RSNA 2024, offering hospital clients “relocatable and expandable” facilities to be deployed across the U.S. It’s now rolling out the initial two “Akumin Axis” locations in the states of Mississippi and Virginia.
Both will deliver PET/CT scans, offering the “feel of a permanent building while retaining the advantages of relocatability.” They’ll each include three uptake rooms for patients receiving radiopharmaceuticals prior to their scans, enabling more than twice the capacity compared to a standard mobile trailer.
“Akumin Axis was designed based on direct feedback from our hospital partners, who face the challenges of high construction costs, limited capital and growing patient demand,” CEO Henry Howe, MBA, who joined the organization in April, said in a statement Aug. 25. “By offering a fully equipped solution that can be operational in as little as 60 days, Akumin Axis is already being recognized as a revolutionary model for expanding access to advanced imaging services.”
One of the new centers is opening in partnership with the 339-bed Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto in Southhaven, Mississippi. The facility already offers a full range of diagnostic and surgical services spanning cardiology, neurology, cancer care and more. It just completed a $19 million emergency department expansion and renovation project in 2018, adding 20,000 square feet. Baptist Memorial additionally launched an 87,000-square-foot, $55 million physician office building on its main campus in 2022, Akumin noted.
Meanwhile, the second center is in partnership with Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center in Suffolk, Virginia. Established in 2025, the facility marks the region’s first “smart hospital,” utilizing integrated technology to bolster safety, communication and comfort. It builds on the foundation of the Harbour View ED, Akumin noted, expanding its capabilities with four operating rooms and 18 private inpatient suites.
Akumin—which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2024—boasts partnerships with over 1,000 hospitals and physician groups. Howe said, in the coming weeks, the company plans to expand the Axis model to also offer radiation therapy services, along with 1.5T MRI capabilities. Earlier this month, Akumin also announced it had inked a partnership with breast imaging artificial intelligence vendor Lunit, with plans to deploy the technology nationwide. Altogether, it operates approximately 150 fixed-site locations.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.